Docile
by Sadistic One
Summary: Hinata is a young maid working for the Uzumaki household. One day she is given as a gift to a lone bachelor much to his dislike. One is broken and the other is slowly fading away. Can these two possibly find love in each other?
1. Chapter 1

Docile

Summary: Hinata is a young maid working for the Uzumaki household. One day she is given as a gift to a lone bachelor much to his dislike. One is broken, and the other is slowly fading away. Can these two possibly find love in each other?

AN: Hey there old and new readers. I updated this chapter and added more scenes to it, so I suggest that you read over Chapter One. Thank you!

Chapter One

In the Uzumaki manor, there was an alarming sound coming from a small silver bell. A young maid by name of Hinata was pinned against the wall that was decorated with a green and lavish Victorian flower wallpaper.

"Sir, Madam is calling me." She tried to move away, but the young lad refused to move.

A smudge look graced his angelic face and he said in a raspy voice, "Now, now Hinata do you really have to go?"

Hinata, a pale skin beauty, held her breath when the young lad leaned towards her and nibbled on the side of her neck. Her body trembled in disgust as the warmness of his breath made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She felt something wet running down the side of her neck and trickled down to the center of her breast. The young boy's rough hands slithered their way to her breasts and cupped them. Hinata closed her eyes tightly as the boy fondled her, roughly. He released one of her breasts and tugged at the sleeves of the kimono, trying pry it off the girl.

Hinata's face deadpanned when she saw sharped hazel eyes staring at her disgusted by the sight. "Hinata," the known voice said between clenched teeth. The young boy quickly swirled around by the voice. The older woman paid no mind to him as her eyes were directed onto Hinata who was fixing the kimono. "Did you hear me requesting your assistance?" She questioned with a slight irritation in her voice. Hinata searched in her master's eyes for help to get rid of her son. There was an awkward silence that filled the room. "But instead of you rushing to my side, I find you in her seducing my son." She tapped her foot impatiently on the wooden floor.

"Madam!" Hinata fell to her knees. "I would never betray you. Please trust me." She lowered her head, not daring to look up.

"Get up!" The woman commanded. Hinata arose and stared at the wooden floor. Her lavender eyes lingered to the ant crawling mindlessly until it slipped between a crack in the floor.

The red hair boy let out a dry sigh. "Why do you always come at the worst time?" He grumbled.

The woman stared at her golden son, Yuki. He was a pale skin fifteen-year-old boy, with fiery red hair. His eyes were a dark green color that reminded people of the forest, and he always wore a mischievous grin.

The master lips tugged up into a small smile. "Now, Yuki. You wouldn't want to lose anything with this dirty whore. Go and find Yoko. You two have music lessons within less than hour."

Hinata felt her heart shattered at the comment, but she dared not look up. Those words hurt her more than the beatings because she found them to be true. Yuki grumbled something inaudible as he pushed pass his mother and stormed out the door.

Saya watched her son as he exited the room. After a few more minutes, she raised her hand and slapped Hinata across the face. "Don't you touch my precious boy." She growled. "You may have made a fool out of my husband, but you're not going to lay a hand on my son." She jabbed her in her collar bone that stuck out noticeably.

Hinata flinched with each jabbed and her eyes begun to water. "Yes, madam." She bowed.

Saya turned her back on the trembling girl. "Make yourself useful and fetch me my tea." She said before exiting the room.

"Yes, Madam."

Hinata walked inside her master's headquarters with a silver tray on the palm of her hand and a cup of tea centered in the middle. She placed the tea on the top of a small wooden desk. Saya raised her head and glanced at the teacup.

"Some cake." Saya mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Madam. Can you repeat that?"

"Cake!" Saya screeched. "Get me some cake. Now!"

She jumped back. "Yes, madam." She scurried away like a wet dog. Hinata was in the kitchen when she nearly dropped the strawberry cake to the floor when she heard the bell ringing crazily. "Yes, Madam." Hinata placed the cake next to the cup of tea that sat in an elegant Victorian cup. "Here is your cake."

"I need more sugar."

Hinata smiled weakly. "Yes, Madam."

The day went on with her master's demanding request.

 _"Hinata, the tea is cold because you're so slow. Fetch me another!"_

 _"Why did you use this tea! Make me another!"_

" _Hinata, why didn't you put something over the cake? Those ants got to it. I wish you would use your brain. Go now and get me some more."_

 _"Are you trying to kill me by putting in all this sugar?"_

 _"You know how much I hate this teacup. Throw it away and use the cup my mother gave me."_

 _"Do you know what time it is! Dinner should be served. Why would you bring me tea and cake during this time of the hour?"_

Hinata leaned against the door and let out tiring sigh. Her body was hot do to the all the moving she had to do. Her master was more demanding today. "Don't worry, Hanabi." She whispered. "You would never have to do this for as long as I live."

The following day came rather quickly, and the maids and butlers at the Uzumaki manor assembled downstairs, lined up ready to greet their master, Sebastian who was away on a business trip.

"Good morning, master." They said in unison.

The short man had a look of anger on his face as he walked past them. "Where is my wife Saya?" He shouted.

His slanted eyes lingered to the staircase and he saw his wife walked down, ever so calmly. "Dear, I've missed you so much." She paused in her tracks when she saw his face. "Did something happen?"

"Let's discuss this in my den." He said leading her behind the double doors. She quickly followed behind him, her heart racing. Clearly, something was not right and if it was anything that angered her husband meant it had to involve money.

"Remember the deal I made with that man."

"Yes." Her eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

"The deal turned out to be a sham and now he's nowhere to be found." Sebastian said with bitterness. He took his grey blazer off and threw it over the red cushioned chair.

"What do you mean he's nowhere to be found?" Saya urged. "You said that deal would be a good investment, Sebastian."

The man rubbed his temple. "Shit!" He slammed his hands on the study table, making the objects move out of place.

"What are we going to do about the money?" Saya questioned. "That was everything we had!" She felt her body trembling and the tears threatening to come out. "If it was anything, I trusted you with it was our money." She sat down on the sofa.

Sebastian remained quiet as he rubbed the temple of his forehead. Saya straightened her posture and said in a low tone. "I think it's time we take matters into our own hands."

His eyes lingered to her and he nodded his head. "You're good at what you do."

Not a single cloud lingered outside during the hot days of Konoha. Everyone seemed to be hiding from the sun in some way or another. The princess of the Uzumaki manor was one who found favor by sitting under a tree that shaded her from the sun's harmful rays. "Hinata," She beckoned the maid. "I want some strawberry lemonade."

Hinata bowed and she walked through the short cut grass and stepped inside the kitchen. She sighed as she opened the refrigerator to get the pitch of strawberry lemonade for Karin, the princess.

"Things will change, trust me." Melody, the cook, said. She was a plump lady with shoulder length blue hair. She has been working for the Uzumaki's for almost twenty years.

"I don't think they ever will, Melody." Hinata placed the pitch on the top of the counter. "I guess this is my destiny."

Melody frowned at what the young girl said. "You're smart and beautiful, Hinata. You don't belong here." She kneaded the though. "Not many girls can read and write like you." She added. "You're one of a kind and your prince charming is probably waiting for you."

"I look like a walking skeleton." Hinata spoke softly. "But thank you for your words. They mean a lot to me." A small smile graced her face.

"Hinata!"

Melody and Hinata turned their heads towards the kitchen door and were met by the red hair princess. She looked around the kitchen in disgust. It was smaller in size and had a gas stove in the corner. The kitchen was painted green and had a broken-down table in the center for the maids/servants to eat on.

"While you chat, I'm out there parched!" she gritted her teeth. "My family isn't paying you to idle around. Get your ass out there with my drink."

"Now, now Karin." Melody sang. "Young ladies shouldn't use vulgar words." She scolded her. "How would your future husband react to such a haughty wife?"

Karin folded her arms and pouted. "I'm not in the mood for lemonade." She muttered before making her leave.

No matter how many times Melody came to Hinata's defense, Hinata was always shocked. She could never speak to them in that way, especially Saya. But Melody was so strong and wise that Hinata wished she could be like her. "Thank you." Hinata said.

"That's what happen when you've been working her for twenty years." Melody threw some flour on the dough. "I practically helped raise that girl." She reminisced. "Trust me when I tell you, she was never like that. She was shy and sweet, but when her brother came back from war, he or she were no longer the same."

"How was he before?" Hinata questioned as she remembered the red hair man vaguely. She rarely saw him at the dinner table or walking around the complex. He was always locked away in his room like he was a prisoner.

Melody kneaded the dough. "Charismatic, charmer, and well-mannered. Now he's stoic." She sighed. "So young." she mumbled.

"Do you believe something bad happened to him in the war?" There was a sudden sadness in her voice.

Melody nodded her head. "He lost a lot of close friends in that war and, she paused suddenly as she looked around to make sure there was no ease droppers. "I heard he and some other people were held as captives and they were tortured until reinforcement were sent to retrieve them."

Hinata felt her stomach twist into knots.

"A lot of people sacrifice their lives in the war, and I am grateful." She smiled. "Now we're are at peace."

Hinata's ears wiggled at the sound of the bell. "I'll talk to you later, Melody."

Melody nodded her head. "Take care, Hinata."

"You were the last person in my room. Where is my pendant?" Saya interrogated Hinata who had her arms outstretched.

"I didn't touch it, Madam. I would never steal from you." Hinata pleaded. Her arms felt like they were about to rot off.

Saya eyes sharpened. "You're a liar and a whore. Why should I believe anything you say? You waltz in her with a cocky attitude and seduce my husband, my son, and now you're stealing from me." She paced back and forth.

"I didn't-

Hinata pulled back her hands and stared at her master shockingly. She held her hands and tried to soothe her fingers that were now turning a red color.

"I don't like liars. Now, did you steal my pendant?" Saya questioned as she stared at the long stick in her hands longingly.

"Madam, I did not." Hinata insisted she was not the culprit, but Saya refused to believe her.

"Hold out your hands." She commanded.

Hinata was trembling in the corner. "Madam." She pleaded. "I did-

"Now!" Hinata outstretched her trembling arms. Little tears gathered in the corner of her eyes and the harsh stick contacted her skin repeatedly. She whimpered as the beating never stopped, and soon her hands were covered in red stripes. "Maybe this will teach you a lesson." Saya said exhausted. She threw the stick onto the red carpet and turned her back on Hinata, who was still trembling in the corner. "I don't need a thief in my house." Saya said. "I should let you go."

Hinata eyes widened. "Please." She dropped to her knees. "I need this job; I can't go back." She cried out.

Saya glared at Hinata. "Then admit you stole it."

Hinata chewed the bottom of her lips. "Yes, Madam. I s-

"Mama, look at what I found in Mito's room." Karin said walking into the room. She held a silver brooch, with a diamond in the center, between her fingers.

"Give this to me." Saya said snatching it out of her daughter's fingers. She examined the brooch and smiled. But it quickly faded when she turned to Hinata who was wiping the tears from her eyes. Karin stared at the girl and a sad look flickered in her eyes momentarily when she saw the stick laid out on the floor.

"Wash yourself up and make me some tea."

Hinata nodded her head and scurried out of the room.

"Madam, your nephew has arrived." Haku, a pretty servant boy said.

"Ah, Naruto is here." Saya said smiling. "Bring him in. Bring him in."

She was sitting down on her soft cushioned chair, sewing, when Haku interrupted her.

Saya lifted the little silver bell from the brown oak table and rang the bell as if her life depended on it.

Hinata entered the room, panting. "Yes, Madam."

"What took you so long?" She asked. She hadn't bothered to look at Hinata.

"I was cleaning the bathroom in the far east as you requested."

"Wash your hands and make me and my nephew some tea. Also, bring some sandwiches. Now."

Hinata bowed.

"Hurry!"

She quickly exited the room.

"Madam, Mr. Uzumaki is here." Haku said moving out of the way.

Saya got up slowly. "Thank you Haku, you may leave."

The pretty boy bowed before making his leave.

"Naruto, oh my. You've grown quite a bit." Saya said as she hugged her nephew briefly.

"Likewise." He said, hugging the woman.

The young boy, who was no older than twenty, had blonde shaggy hair and sharped blue eyes.

"Come now. Sit." Saya ushered him to the cushioned chair opposite from hers. The blonde sat and stared at his aunt.

"Why have you summoned me here?" he questioned with a bored expression.

"I just wanted to see how my only nephew was doing. It's been quite a while since I last saw you."

"Madam." Hinata was holding a silver tray with two teacups and some sandwiches.

"Am I the only one in here?" Saya questioned, raising her eyebrow.

Hinata placed the tray on the table and turned to the young man sitting. "I'm sorry." She bowed. "Good day, sir."

Naruto didn't respond, instead he fanned her off.

"Dust in here, Hinata. Make yourself useful."

Hinata bowed. "Yes, Madam."

Hinata walked over to the fireplace and pulled out a white cloth from her kimono and wiped it down.

"I'm doing fine." Naruto told her. His eyes stayed on Hinata who dusting the fireplace.

The girl was homely looking, but there was something that made her stand out. He studied the petite girl who was concentrating on making sure the room was clean. The gray kimono she wore was too big on her and would fall from her shoulder. Saya's eyes glanced to where Naruto was staring at, and her eyes lit up with amusement.

"Hinata, go help Haku in the garden." Saya commanded.

"Yes, Madam." Hinata bowed. "Good day, sir."

"Naruto, when are you going to hire some servants or maids to help you in that big old house."

"I can take care of myself." He responded.

"Who is going to cook for you? You're a young man, you shouldn't be cooking. That's a woman's job." Saya smiled.

Naruto smirked. "So, what does that make you?"

Saya sipped her tea, while glaring at Naruto. "Why don't you take one of my maids?"

"Auntie, I really don't need anyone right now. I prefer to be by myself." The young lad said as he got up from the cushioned chair.

Saya was amused by the stoic boy. Her thin lips curled up. "Well, your eyes haven't left her since she entered the room." She responded playfully.

Naruto cleared his throat. "I'm a young man with hormones. Of course, I would look at anything that has breast and a vagina."

Saya scrunched up her face revealing some wrinkles that outlined her forehead.

"That's very vulgar of you, Naruto." She sipped on the tea. "Is that your view of women?"

Naruto smiled sweetly at her, which made Saya in turn, smile. "That's what your husband thinks too."

Saya smile was replaced with a dirty look. "Nephew, this will be a gift from me to you. Take the girl. She's a good cook and clean. I will have her sent to you by tonight."

Naruto turned his back on her and said, "If you send her to me, I'll have her sleeping outside in the cold."

Before Saya could respond, he left the room. She gritted her teeth. "Hinata!"

Hinata stood face to face with Saya who was examining her. "Clearly he has taken a liking to you." She mumbled under her breath. "Hinata." Saya called out. Hinata straightened her posture and responded in a soft voice, "Yes, madam?" Saya gripped Hinata by her cheeks and examined her sunken face. "I'm going to give you to my nephew for he needs a maid. Now you do whatever he says." Her eyes went dangerously low. "If I hear a complaint from you or he sends you back here, I will fire you and make sure your sister pays."

Hinata shook her head like a wide animal. "I will do my best, Madam."

Saya clasped her hands together and smiled sweetly. "Starting tonight he'll be your new master."

Hinata stared in awe at the Namikaze manor. She had heard a lot of rumors of this house and how it was built. She took a deep breath as she approached the front door. A house this big were to surely have more than fifty servants. She knocked hesitantly on the door and stepped back.

The door creaked opened slowly and a blonde hair man emerged from the shadows. Hinata was taken back when she saw the young man had opened the door. Where were his servants? "Good day sir." She bowed her head. "Madam has sent me to serve you, master Namikaze."

He clicked his tongue and the crowns on his forehead deepened. "Excuse me?"

"Madam has sent me to assist you." Hinata repeated. She still had her head lowered, but she knew her body was noticeably trembling. The man had a cold aura about him, and it frightened her slightly.

"I told her not to send you. Go back. "He said shooing her away. "This woman never quits." He mumbled. Noticing the girl was not budging, Naruto raised his left eyebrow. "Why are you still here?" He questioned. "Go! Now!" He said harshly.

"Ah, but she told me to assist you and follow your commands." Hinata replied.

He crossed his arms and smirked. "Is that so?" He made his way towards her, which made her step back. He stepped outside and circled around her. He played with her long hair before making his way in front of her. "You have to do anything I say?"

"Yes…" she said rather unsurely.

The sky rumbled, and the rain poured down on the city, pounding on the rooftops. The front porch, where the two stood, was now wet and slippery. A gust of wind blew back and forth, and the sky turned gray and sad.

"Then sleep outside!" He slammed the door on her face.

Hinata jumped when he slammed the door. Surely, he was joking… right?

Naruto held the candles in his right hand and made his way to the window. He stared out the window and gazed at the sad sky. The rain didn't ease. He sighed.

Early morning came when Hinata quickly jumped up when she heard the front door opening. Naruto was taken back when he saw the girl dusting herself off.

"Why are you still here?" He stared at the girl shockingly.

She was wet, and her hair stuck to her face. The kimono was sliding off her, and one side of her face was covered in dirt and pebbles.

"I'm here to serve you, Master Namikaze." She bowed.

Naruto chuckled. "Are you serious?" he deadpanned. "You slept outside like I told you?"

"I'm only doing with Madam is telling me. You're my new master." She said meekly.

"Then leave. Go back to her."

Hinata shook her head. "I'll do anything but that." She chewed on her lip.

"Why?"

"I need this job, sir." She whispered.

"Then go back."

"I cannot." She refused to budge. "If I go back, she will fire me, and I won't be able to help my sister."

"That doesn't concern me, but stay there for all I care, but you will not step foot in my house!" he said slamming the door behind him. He walked past the girl and walked down the long pavement and onto the roadside. He marched down the road until he reached his aunt's house which was a five minute walk from his house.

"Auntie!" Naruto said barging into the Uzumaki manor. "Auntie!" He shouted.

Some of the maids rushed downstairs when they heard him. Before they could speak up, Karin brushed past them and was surprise to find her cousin here. "Cousin, it's been so long." She ran up to Naruto and gave him a light hug. "How have you been?"

Naruto didn't return the hug as anger consumed him. "Where is Auntie?"

Karin blinked a few times before stepping to the side. "She's in the dinning room with papa."

Naruto brushed past her and stepped into the familiar dinning room. It still looked the same from when he was young and it bought back some memories he tried to forget.

"Are you enjoying the new maid?" She sipped on her tea. "I must admit, I miss her a little bit. She made some excellent tea."

"If that's the case, then take her." He raised his voice. "I told you I didn't want anyone. I can do this by myself." He swung his arm.

"Naruto, how nice of you to join us." Sebastian said making his presence known.

Sebastian, a Chinese/Japanese man had black hair and slanted eyes. He was in his fifties but was still fit and youthful.

"Take her back." Naruto demanded.

"What is he talking about?" Sebastian turned to Saya. "Take who back?"

"She gave me one of her maids." Naruto said as he ran his finger through his golden locks.

"Which maid did you give him?" There was a slight irritation in his voice as he expected to say the answer he already knew.

"Hinata." She replied sweetly.

Sebastian eyes narrowed. "Why would you give him Hinata?"

"He took a liking to her." She said ignoring the gaze of the angry man.

"How can you give away someone I hired? Sebastian growled.

"Now, Naruto. The girl is poor and needs the money. Her sister is in a boarding school which is being paid by Hinata's wages. She's been through a lot and could desperately use the money. I haven't grown fond of her, so if you send her back here, I will fire her." Saya said putting some sugar in her tea. "Not sure if she'll live long. Do you see how skinny she is?" Saya smirked.

Naruto turned his back on his auntie and exit the Uzumaki manor. He would fire the girl immediately when he got back home. If his aunt was going to take her back, then he would get rid of her himself. But for now, he needed to discuss something with his best friend.

In the Uzumaki, Sebastian could be heard arguing with his wife. "What the hell are you thinking?" Sebastian slammed his hand on the table.

Saya scoffed. "I know what you do to her when I'm not around. You're so shameless."

"What I do is none of your concern!"

"It is my concern!" She raised her voice. "I am your wife and the mother of your children. If I feel fit to release someone because you can't keep your dick in your pants, I will do so."

Sebastian huffed.

"And besides, the plan is being put into motion." Saya responded quietly. "We're going to use her to get the Namikaze's fortune." She said before placing the teacup to her thin lips.

The sun was setting when Naruto returned to his lonesome house. His eyes slightly widened when he glimpsed the maid sitting on her chest luggage in the front of his door. She was petite with long dark hair and bangs the framed her face. Her face was sunken, but with a little fat her beauty would shine. Her soft lips were tainted pink and her round lavender eyes still showed hints of playfulness for a girl of nineteen.

Hinata's ears wiggled when she heard something a piece of twig breaking. She turned around and saw the young lad making his way towards her. She bowed her head, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he opened the door to the household and glanced over his shoulder. His shoulder shook uncontrollably because the poor girl looked so pitiful.

He had done a lot of thinking when making his way home and he knew what his aunt told him was true. She would fire her the minute she came back. It didn't concern him, but still. The minute he stepped foot out the Uzumaki manor he was struck with a painful headache that did not stop, and even now his head still hurt. He entered the manor and closed the door behind him. The pain rang constantly throughout his head and he sighed deeply.

"You always do that." He mumbled.

Hinata stared at the closed door, sadly. Her eyes stung and she felt the tears threatening to fall. She lowered her head in shame and cried silently. She turned on her heels and gripped the chest by the handles and tugged on it.

The door creaked open slowly and a voice said, "Bring your stuff."

Hinata turned around and her lightened up. She wiped her tears and bowed her head repeatedly. "Thank you, sir! I won't disappoint you."

Naruto rolled his eyes and opened the door wider. "Hurry up!"

She grabbed the chest piece and struggled to drag it into the manor. Naruto let out a long sigh as he took the chest piece full of her belongings from her. "You're such a weakling." He mumbled.

"Master Namikaze, please let me do this." Hinata insisted. Naruto glared at her silencing her. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Hinata was in a trance when she entered the household as she looked around the house. In the center of the household was a chandelier that hung from the ceiling and a large circular rug that was placed in the center. A mahogany staircase, that had a red rug, split into two parts to different sections of the house. She followed him through some narrow corridors, until he stopped in front of a door carved with petals.

"This is where you'll stay." He said pushing the door open. He placed the chest piece on the side and leaned against the door. Hinata stared in awe at the room. It was covered in tatami rug and a futon that looked soft and cozy; much better than her old bedroom at the Uzumaki manor.

"Listen here." He grabbed her attention. "Refrain from making too much ruckus. I hate unnecessary noises. If I am sleeping, do not bother me unless it is urgent. You are to come when I call you, no matter the task you are doing and when I tell you stay out of my way. You do so."

Hinata nodded her head.

"Auntie says you're a good cook?"

"Yes, Mast-

Naruto raised his hand. "My name is Naruto."

Hinata eyes widened. "Yes, Master Naruto Na-

"No. Are you stupid?" There was a slight venom in his voice. She flinched by the harshness in his voice. He sighed when he noticed her flinching. "Call me Naruto."

"But sir… that seems so-

"You are to do what I say! You are to serve me, not question me." He barked at her.

Hinata bowed. "I'm sorry, N… Naruto."

He pinched his nose in frustration. "When you are done washing up, I want some food, ramen preferably."

"Yes... M-. Uh, Naruto."

"Hurry up." He snarled.

"Yes, Yes."

Hinata stared at the stove which was covered in cobwebs. In fact, the whole kitchen was covered in cobwebs and dirt. It looked like it had been abandoned from some while. And now that she thought about it, there seem to be no maids or butlers her at all. The maid headquarters were empty and the whole household was eerily quiet.

Naruto sat in the dinning room as he waited impatiently for Hinata to bring him his food. He tapped his fingers on the brown rectangular table and puffed out his cheeks. "No wonder auntie didn't take a liking to her. She is so slow." He mumbled under his breath. He laughed to himself. "I can't believe she suckered me into taking this girl."

"Mi- Naruto, sir. Your food is ready." Hinata said holding a tray of enchanting food.

"You're very slow, Hinata." Naruto commenced.

"I do apologize, but the kitchen was a little dirty and I didn't feel comfortable cooking food for you in such a dirty place. My apologies.

Naruto straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "I see. You're considerate."

Hinata blushed. "Ah, thank you."

She placed the silver tray on a tray holder and placed the bowl of ramen in front of him. She also placed a chopstick on the paper towel and filled a small glass with sake. In a separate smaller silver tray, she placed some slice cooked pork in front of him, and steamed vegetables and egg. "Sir, I do apologize for talking out of turn, but where are the rest of the servants?"

Naruto was amazed by the food in front of him. "You are the only one here. I got rid of them years ago." He grumbled.

Hinata was surprised. It meant that this whole house or more like mansion would be left for her to clean and cook. She shook her head. It was her job. "Enjoy, Naruto." She said bowing. She turned to walk away when he stopped her.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Naruto place the chopsticks between his fingers. He cocked his head to the side.

Hinata had to admit, he looked like a small child when he did so. "I'm supposed to wait until master is finish eating."

"Why?" he was baffled. "My food is in front of me so eat?"

"If it is your wish…" she was about to turn back to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" his voice echoed throughout the empty room.

"Ah, did you need something?" she said making her way towards his side.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he questioned.

"Yes sir."

"So, where are you going?"

"In the kitchen. That is where all the servants go to eat."

"Oh, okay. Go ahead." Naruto said fanning her away.

Naruto sat on the cushioned sofa and studied Hinata who was dusting off the fireplace and furniture. Hinata felt his eyes wondering on her, but she was used to people staring at her.

"That's an ugly kimono." He remarked.

Hinata stopped what she was doing and bowed. "I'm sorry."

"Stop bowing. It's annoying."

"Yes sir."

"You couldn't get use to calling me Naruto, so now you're saying sir." He grinned playfully.

"I'm sorry… Naruto."

"How fast are you, Hinata?"

Hinata was startled by the sudden questions. She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure."

He smirked sadistically. "Fetch me some music sheets on the second floor, fifth room on the right. Now."

"Yes sir."

"You have two minutes to bring me my things."

Hinata rushed up the stairs, holding her kimono to keep it from falling off her. She was lost at first, but she found the room.

She was impressed. It had a single oval window and was outlined with a forest green paint. There was a bookshelf filled with scrolls and books. Hinata looked around the room in search for any music sheets. She smiled when she found it and rushed down the stairs and into the room Naruto was in.

"Tsk. Tsk." He said. "Not fast at all."

"I'm sorry sir, I got lost on the way."

Naruto snatched the sheet music from her hand and stared at them. He threw them on the floor. "Fetch me another and clean up this mess."

"Is there a particular kind of sheet music you're looking for, sir?" Hinata said kneeling to pick up the sheet music.

"Anything as long as it isn't that." He looked at her with a bored expression. "Why are you still here? Get going!"

It had only been a day and a half when Hinata first entered the Namikaze manor and she was tired as could be. Saya and Naruto were quite similar when it came to working her to death. He seemed to enjoy her running up and down like a chicken with its head cut off. Hinata panted as she held on the wall for support. The house was larger than her mistress house and had a lot more rooms. She slid on the floor and placed her head between her knees. She was breathing heavily, and the tears gathered in the corner of eyes.

Her hands trembled as she wiped her tears. "I want to die." _"Sister."_ Hinata eyes widened. She shook that thought away. "I can't. Not now." She whispered. She held onto the wall and got up shakenly. Her body felt like it was burning hotter than a furnace. The room felt as if it was spinning.

"Hinata!"

She got up shakenly and entered the room. "Why didn't you come when I called you the first time?" Naruto glared at her. "You're really are stupid, huh? You're so slow and useless." He looked out the window and into the garden. "How can you call yourself a maid? I mean look how you look. So sickly, worthless piece of shit. Can't you do anythi- Naruto eyes widened when he saw Hinata's reflection from the window wobbling. She was about to fall to the ground. He quickly ran up to her and caught her on time.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted. He held the petite girl in his arms and gently slapped her cheek. He pulled his hand back when he noticed the girl was burning up. "Hinata." He said more gently.

She didn't answer. Her large lavender eyes were foggy, and they began to roll back. Naruto got up quickly with her in his arms. He rushed to one of the many bathrooms and filled the white tub with cold water.

Once the tub was filled with water, he picked the girl up and placed her gently in it. "Hinata, wake up." He splashed some water on her. He grabbed a towel and soaked it in the cold water before placing it on her forehead. Her head bobbed up and down. Naruto grabbed her from the tub and ran to one of the guest rooms. He took off her kimono revealing her naked body. She was so skinny, and her ribcages stuck out. He placed some blankets over her and put the cold towel on her forehead. "I'll be back." He said charging out of the room.

"It's a good thing you did what you did."

"Will she be okay?" Naruto said chewing on his bottom lip.

"She will be, thanks to you."

Naruto stared at the fair skin woman, Tsunade and smiled weakly.

"Thank you, old lady." He sighed in relief.

Tsunade glared at the lad. "Give her this when she wakes up." Tsunade said handing him some medicine. "She should stay in bed for a few days before you put her back to work." She said packing her bags.

"Thank you again."

"I thought you fired all of your servants' years ago?"

"I did, but Auntie insisted that I take this one." He sighed. "Look at all the trouble she's making." He said pointing at the girl, who was sleeping.

"Then send her back." Tsunade said.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I've been told she's been through a lot." Naruto mumbled.

Tsunade smiled. "Are you finally opening up your heart?" she giggled childishly.

"My heart was never closed."

Tsunade got up and walked past him, "Now you and I both know that's a lie."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble." Hinata said bowing down. "Please, I'll do better." She said. "Don't let me go." She whimpered.

Naruto was in the parlor of the house when Hinata came in bowing down and pleading.

"Hinata, just get up." He was frustrated.

"Is there anything I can do to please you?"

Naruto eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that? Please me?"

Hinata looked down.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Hinata's eyes locked with his sharp blue eyes. "What do you mean you'll do anything to please me?"

"I…

Naruto stared at her with disgust, which made Hinata eyes watered.

 _"Now, Naruto. The girl is poor and needs the money. Her sister is in a boarding school which is being paid by Hinata's wages. She's been through a lot and could desperately use the money. I haven't grown fond of her, so if you send her back here, I will fire her." Saya said putting some sugar in her tea. "Not sure if she'll live long. Do you see how skinny she is?" Saya smirked._

 _…_

 _"She gave me one of her maids." Naruto said as he ran his finger through his golden locks._

 _"Which made did you give him?"_

 _"Hinata." She replied._

 _Sebastian eyes narrowed. "Why would you give him Hinata?"_

"Ah" Naruto sung, "you sleep around to get what you want?"

Hinata shook her head. "No!"

"That's why auntie didn't take a liking to you." Naruto hummed.

Hinata got up.

"Get back down." Naruto commanded.

She quickly dropped to her knees and stared at the beige carpet beneath her.

"So, is this what you do? Play the victim and sleep with marry men or anyone for money? If that's the case, why don't you go to a brothel?"

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the words that were being thrown at her. "I'm not like that."

"Would you have sex with me if I threatened to send you back to my auntie?" Naruto locked eyes with Hinata once more and the girl had a hurt expression on her face. Somehow, it hurt him to see her defenseless and wounded.

She thought about it many times, but being a maid was so much easier. They rarely fed you in brothels and they were the worse, but at least being a maid means she had a place to sleep, and eat, regardless of the men that were "hands on". She was free to leave in a sense, but she was always somehow bounded.

Naruto kneeled to face her. "That was a little harsh of me. Please don't ever say you'll do anything to please me. I'm not that kind of man, okay?"

She nodded her head. Naruto helped her up and patted her on her head. He felt her soft hair and smelled it. He smiled. A smell he remembered so vividly.

"Hinata, we need some food."

"Yes sir, I'll get going."

"I'm coming with you." He said taking off his blazer.

"Sir, that is un-

"You were just bedridden, and I don't expect somebody like you to carry those groceries." Hinata stared at the man shockingly. He wasn't like her other masters. He was different… almost as if he was new to this. "Let's get going while the sun is out." He said making his way to the door.

"Yes, sir."

He closed the door behind him and the two walked down the pavement and into the town.

"You know Hinata, you should eat more. You're rather thin."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Naruto said rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. "It's not like it is your doing."

"I suppose it isn't."

"Now that we see eye to eye, eat until your heart is content."

Hinata gazed at the young man, his eyes sparkling in the sun, but they were so sharp and cold. His golden bangs brushed back and forth with the wind.

She wondered what made him like this. Cold and distant?

Yes, he acted the same as her previous master/mistress, but he was different. She blinked. That word again.

'Different.' She thought.

Yes, he was different indeed. He acted cold and selfish, but that wasn't him. That was not his true personality.

 _'Things will change, trust me.'_

'Melody, I think you're right.' She said to herself. She gazed at the setting sun. 'I believe things will change, for the better.'

Review.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hinata rushed downstairs as she heard someone knocking harshly on the double doors. They rang the doorbell several times before she finally opened it.

"You've only been gone for a week and you're already becoming lazy?" Saya brushes past her and entered the house. "I guess that boy doesn't know how to deal with a maid." She sighs. "Well?" She said raising her voice.

"Good day, Madam. Um… Naruto isn't here at the moment." Hinata said while she played with the hem of her long sleeves kimono.

"Naruto?" Saya raised her eyebrow. "You are a disgusting girl! Have you no manners?" She raised her hand and slapped Hinata on her right cheek. Hinata's head turn and she trembled. "Where do you get off calling your master by his first name?" Saya eyed her. "And what is this?" she questioned as she studied the kimono. "Did he buy you a new kimono?"

Hinata held her cheeks and stared into Saya's eyes, she was panting heavily.

"Answer me!"

"Yes… madam. He did. He didn't like the kimono I was given." She responded. "He also instructed me to call him by his first name." Hinata felt her chest raising up and down.

Saya, who was wearing a western style clothes that consisted of a short sleeve mint green dress and a sunhat, hummed in amusement. "I see." She said straightening her portion. "I see you've gain weight." Hinata remained quiet. "And your face seems to glow." She said circling the girl. "Are you seducing the Namikaze heir?"

"No, madam. I'm just doing my job." Hinata replied.

"Very well." Saya said taking off her gloves. "Fetch me some tea with lemon." She demanded while she made her way into the parlor.

* * *

"Hinata," Naruto spoke, "run me my bath."

He had just come from a meeting with one of his friends and one thing led to another and the two decided they would do a quick spar.

Hinata went downstairs to greet her master and was stunned by the bruise on his right cheek and messy hair that had little figs in it.

"Sir are you okay?" she asked. She was helping him take off his blazer.

"I'm fine. Now run me my bath, lukewarm water." He told her.

"Yes, sir."

As he walked into the parlor, he unbuttoned his shirt when he spotted a teacup on his table.

"Hinata." He called out as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Your water is almost ready, Naruto." She had put some scented cherry blossom oils in the water.

He stepped into the bathroom, where Hinata was pouring some oil into the water. "Why is there a teacup on my table? Are you neglecting your duties?"

She bowed. "I apologize sir. Madam came by and requested that I make her some tea and that I accompany her to Town sq-

Hinata yelped when Naruto placed his two hands on her arms. "She was in this house?" She nodded her head, afraid to utter a word. "What did she want?"

"She just wanted to see how you were doing and to invite you to a party she is having tomorrow night."

"Hinata, when I'm not home do not let her enter this house, okay?"

"Y… yes s-sir." She said in between stutters.

"And what happened to your face?" He eyed her red cheek. He was unbuttoning his shirt when he asked, "Was it her?"

"Yes…"

"You know Hinata, you can't let her hit on you. She doesn't own you anymore." Naruto said as he threw his shirt onto the floor.

"Yes, sir." She kneeled as picked up the clothes he dropped onto the wooden floor. Hinata placed the clothes into a straw basket while Naruto entered the wooden soaking tub. He submerged his entire body into the tub before coming up for air. After doing so, Hinata added some Sakura petals into the tub. This was a routine she was accustomed to; especially from her previous houses.

She reached for a white wash cloth that was on sink and began to wash his back. She remembered the first incident they had when he asked her to run his bath.

" _Good day, Naruto." Hinata bowed as the young lad strolled into the house. He was damp in sweat and dirt._

" _I'm going to take a bath." He mumbled as he climbed the mahogany stairs. Hinata also followed behind him, her steps were quiet as a mouse. He turned around, which cause the girl to collide into his chest. "What are you doing?" He questioned. He furrowed his eyebrows._

 _She bowed. "You informed me you were going to take a bath, so I'm going to prepare it for you."_

" _Is it really necessary?"_

" _You are my master. Your hands shouldn't prepare anything since I am here, sir."_

 _He scratched the back of his head before walking away. "Okay." He muttered._

" _Which bathroom are you going to be using today, sir?" Hinata asked she followed suit behind him._

" _This one." He said standing in front of a wooden sliding door. The window was embroidered with the Uzumaki symbol. "This is the bathroom I'm always going to use."_

 _Hinata nodded her head. "Yes, sir."_

 _Naruto slid the door open and stepped into the wooden room. Hinata followed behind slowly and it felt like her breathing stopped for a moment. The room, though not too big, was mesmerizing. There in the center stood a wooden soaking tub that was carved with little petals. The walls were also wooden that had the Uzumaki symbols hand carved into them. The wooden sink was delicate and smooth and above it, there was a little oval mirror hanging on the wall; and one square window looking out towards the garden._

" _I like my water lukewarm." He told her. "Please have everything ready before I come back." He left on those words._

 _Hinata turned the water on the water and set it to a lukewarm temperature. Feeling that it was enough to his liking, she let the tub filled just enough not to overflow when he gets in. As the tub filled with water, she looked on the sink for some scented oils to pour into the bathtub. She spotted a mini bottle that had a leaf sign on it. She opened the bottle and smelled it. Much to her delight, it was a minty smell. She poured some into the tub. Deciding that it was good enough, she turned off the water and exited the bathroom to get some orange and lemon slices from the fridge._

 _Naruto was in his room when he heard someone running downstairs, then back upstairs. It reminded him of a dog he snuck in the house one day. The dog caused so much damages, he was grounded for a week._

 _Hinata gently placed the orange slices into the water and watched them float around, some bumping into one another._

" _Is it ready?" He asked her as stood in front of the door._

" _Yes sir."_

 _Naruto sighed. "I told you to call me Naruto." He complained. He entered the room and waited for her to leave. Upon finding out she wouldn't budge, he eyed her. "What?" he barked. She jumped a little. "Why are you still in here?" He asked. "I'm about to take my bath."_

" _Yes, N-Naruto. It's my duty to help you."_

" _Help me with what? To take a bath?"_

" _Yes."_

" _I am more than capable of bathing myself." He unbuttoned his clothes. He turned his back against her and smirked deviously. "But if you insist." He threw his white button shirt onto the wooden floor, revealing his bare skin back. Hinata breath ceased for a moment, before it went back to normal. She was used to it; her watching her master undress, bathing them. It was her job. He pulled down his olive-green slacks and kicked them at her feet. "Make sure they're clean by tomorrow." He ordered._

" _Yes." Hinata stooped down and pick up the clothes. She slowly looked up and her face reddened when she was staring directly at his naked behind that was pointing in her direction. He threw the briefs at her before gently getting into the tub. He submerged his entire body for several minutes. Hinata got up and placed the clothes into a wooden basket. She turned to face the tub and noticed her master was still submerged into it. Worried overcame her, and as she was about to call out for him, but he finally came back up for air. Some water splashed onto the floor. He went on the next side of the tub and pressed his back against the wooden walls and rested his arms on the rim of it._

 _Hinata stood there, frozen. At times he was intimidating and cold that it made her whole body tense up._

" _Why did you put orange and lemon slices in here?" He asked as he lift one of the slices up._

" _It's called a citrus bath, sir… I mean Naruto. It's good for the skin and will soothe the mind." She mumbled the last part._

 _She grabbed a white wash cloth that was on top of the wooden counter. "Um… if you would please come closer. I need to wipe you down."_

 _Naruto stared at her. Her hair was placed into a high pony tail and she wore a pinkish lace up Yukata kimono shirt which was tied up with a white tasuki cord, and green pants that puff inwards above her ankles._

 _He squinted his eyes. "Why do I have to come to you?" He asked. After not answering he splashed some water on her, soaking her yukata shirt completely._

 _Hinata dropped her shoulders in defeat. "I do apologize, Naruto." She bowed._

 _Naruto stuck his nose in the air, which reminded her of a little fox she encountered a few years ago. The small fox was a boujee little fellow._

 _She yelped when something wet her face. It was a lemon slice sliding down her face. "Please refrain from daydreaming in my presence." He warned her._

" _I'm sorry." She bowed. "Sir… err- Naruto, I would really appreciate if you would come on this side, so I can give you a proper bath. I wouldn't want to have to step in the water and dirty it."_

 _He scoffed, but that didn't stop him from moving towards Hinata. She had to admit that the young master did look seductive moving towards her. His hair was wet and stuck to his face, and it almost felt like he was trying to seduce her with his body action._

 _He turned his back against her and sat there. Hinata kneeled and began to gently wipe the nape of his neck with the washcloth. He shivered slightly when Hinata placed her left hand on his left shoulder._

" _Are you okay, Naruto?" She whispered._

" _Yes." He frowned. "Your hands are cold."_

" _Ah, I'm sorry."_

" _It's okay." He grumbled._

 _Needless to say, the master had a ticklish spot that Hinata spent the entire night soaking up the water into the bathroom because of him._

He relaxed in the water and picked up the cherry blossoms in his hand. "Hinata, you will accompany me to the ball?" Hinata face flushed at the request, until. "I'll need someone to fetch me something to drink once in a while."

She smiled weakly at the comment. "Of course, Naruto."

* * *

It was a sunny morning when Hinata greeted the mailman who was delivering from some mail to Namikaze's resident.

"Have a nice day." She told him as he petaled his bicycle away.

She flipped through the mail until she saw one for her.

To my beloved sister, Hinata

She walked into the garden and sat on the stone bench. Hinata looked around the garden and was unsatisfied with the outcome. The garden was losing its touch and color. She tried her best to take care of the flowers, after all they were the prettiest flowers she had ever laid her eyes on. But her being one person was hard enough as it was. She couldn't take care of the house, which was doubled the size of the Uzumaki residence, and taking care of Naruto and his childish antics.

She groaned. The man could be a real scrooge ball who seemed to make life a living hell. He did have his moments where he was kind, but other times he was childish and did stuff just because.

But she could say, she preferred this than her last few households. He never once beat her or touched her inappropriately. The first few nights she spent there, she couldn't sleep. She always stared at the door waiting for it to open, with him standing there staring at her hungrily.

She grabbed a small knife and gently tore the white envelope just enough for her to pull the paper out.

"Ah, Hanabi's writing is so cute. Mother would be so proud." She said adoring the symbols and it strokes.

 _07/02/1902_

 _My beloved sister,_

 _Thank you for sending me the medicine. It was much needed._

 _How are you doing? It's been so long since I've last seen you and I miss you so much. Is everything going smoothly with work? I found it strange you forward me a new address. Were you fired? And do you have a new master? I hope they are nice people._

 _Lately, I have been hearing rumors that there is talk of war and it's causing a few problems here. The other day a man was killed by some of the other civilians for suggesting overthrowing the Kazekage for not letting the people know what was going on. It was such a gruesome sight from what my friends told me. They said he was drunk when he sputtered such foolishness. Did they have every right to kill the man?_

 _I am scared. Some nights ago, an alarm went off and we were scurried in a basement for shelter. They said it was a test and that there was no need to worry. They assured us that there would be no more war. But I saw the war truck going in and out of the village every so often._

 _What am I going to do if war breaks out?_

 _What are my friends going to do?_

 _I pray to God that these are nothing more than just rumors._

 _But please continue to write to me. I find I am at ease when I a hear from you._

 _I love you._

 _My best regards,_

 _Hanabi H._

Hinata hands trembled as she read the letter.

'Talk of war? There haven't been any rumors here.' She thought.

"Hinata!" The young maiden jumped when she heard the anger in her master's voice. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" He walked on the stoned pavement and towards Hinata. He looked down at her and saw she was holding a letter in her hand.

Hinata stared at the young lad as if she were in a trance.

He raised his eyebrow. "What is the matter?"

"S…sir, have you heard of any rumors of war in Suna?" she questioned.

"War in Suna? He repeated. "Who are they to go to war with?"

Hinata handed Naruto the letter and he glanced over it.

"I'm pretty sure these are just rumors, Hinata." He threw the paper to her. "You've been spacing out lately. Why?" he inquired.

"Um… I haven't noticed." Hinata replied as she picked up the letter off the ground.

"Of course, you haven't. I've been calling out to you since yesterday. Are you feeling ill again?"

"No sir. But do you think war will come about? Do you remember the war of Konoha? We lost a lot of people during that time."

"That was thirteen years ago." Naruto muttered. He picked up some of the mail and flipped through it.

"That wasn't long ago, Naruto!" Hinata shouted. "It killed so many people and parts of the country is still recovering from it." Her eyes began to water. "My family died because of it."

"Hinat-

"No." She said slapping his hand away. "The Hyugas were loyal and now look at us. We've become nothing more than rags and dirt all because the messenger came too late and the Hokage isn't doing anything to-."

Naruto quickly placed his hand over her mouth. Her eyes watered as he stared down at her coldly. "Know your place woman." He sneered. "Do not mention Hokage in this household or wherever you go. Do not talk ill of the Hokage or you will surely lose your life." He warned her. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hinata nodded her slowly, and the tears splattered over his hand. He released his hold on her mouth and sighed. "Hinata, I do apologize." Naruto said. "I can reassure if there were to be war with Suna, Konoha would be the first to know. They are our allies."

Hinata stared at the ground with a hesitant look.

"Hinata, may I remind you who household you're in?" He responded in an angry tone. "I need you to get yourself together.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." She rubbed her eyes.

He let out a heavy sigh. "I didn't mean to do that, but," he reached her height and whispered into her ear, "that man is ruthless and will kill you without hesitation. Please be mindful wherever you go."

Hinata eyes widened.

"I am hungry. Make me something to eat." He demanded her.

He looked around the garden. "And why does the garden look like this?" It had been a long time since he stepped foot into his mother garden, thirteen years to be exact. The water fountain with a mother holding her child still laid in the centered, but it had little vines covering it, and the flowers were decaying and weed was everywhere.

"I try my best, but you may need to hire a gardener." She informed him.

"I'll think about it. My food, please." He reminded her.

* * *

Naruto waited for Hinata downstairs by the house door. A few minutes ago, he had send her back to her room to change into something fitting for the party. She wore a grey kimono, something he thought he had told her to get rid of. She explained it was her duty to let everyone know she was his maid, and nothing more. But he was not having it. He fanned back to the room to wear a formal western dress. Much to his dislike, he would have preferred her wearing a traditional kimono, but hearing his auntie nagging was out of the picture.

"Hinata!" He called out to her.

"I'm coming sir."

He heard heels click-clacking on the tile floor and out of the corner Hinata popped up. He was struck. She wore a navy blue laced tulle V neck ball gown. She had her head lowered and strolled towards him slowly.

He was surprised at the outcome because the dress was handmade by a local seamstress. He knew she needed at least two or three gown dresses due to his Auntie invites he will received. He would send his best regards to the Misses.

"Um… Naruto." She said in a hush tone. He shook his head slightly because he had been staring to long. "Should I change?"

"N… no." He stuttered. "You're just going to take your slow time again. Let's go. We're already late." He ordered.

The two walked side by side on the pave way towards the Uzumaki Manor which was only six minutes away from his house. The sound of crickets could be heard, and there was a full moon out. Hinata mind lingered onto Hanabi and what she said about the war.

"When we get inside get me something drink." He told her.

They had entered the Uzumaki manor, and there seemed to be quite a few people entering the household. Hinata bowed at the young boy standing in the front taking invitations. She smiled at the familiar face. It was Haku. They were next in line and Hinata took out the invitation.

"H-Hinata." Haku stuttered. "It's been so long." He said eyeing the girl up and down. She was pretty, not that she wasn't before, but she looked fuller. He eyes the bachelor who made his way inside the house.

"Is he treating you alright?" He asked.

"He's better than her." She replied.

"Are you two?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. I am still his maid and he is my master. Nothing more."

Haku nodded his head. "Please take care."

"You too, Haku."

Haku smiled before taking the next set of invitations. Hinata entered the familiar household and made her way into a grand room. The room was lively with some people talking, and others dancing. Hinata knew her mistress held some nice parties, but she was never invited inside. She heard some people laughing at one another, and the golden rays from the chandelier showered the place with its grace.

"Oh, the drink." She reminded herself.

She walked over to the table and grabbed a small glass cup of a beige liquid substance. She eyed the room for blonde hair. After several minutes of scanning and searching for her master, she spotted him standing next to a man who didn't look like he wanted to be there.

"I had a feeling something was going on."

"You and I both know he needs to be taking down."

"I know. I feel there is going to be another war. The man is to senile to be our Ho-

"Shh…"

Hinata approached her master, and what seemed to be a friend. She was unsure of what to call him in front of others, so she stuck to sir.

"Good evening, sir." She bowed at the black hair man who held a drink in his hand.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto introduced his best friend.

Sasuke bowed slightly.

"Hello, Mister. Uchiha." She greeted. "Sir, here is your drink." She said handing him the glass.

"What took you so long?"

"It was kind of hard to find you. I do apologize." She said as she bowed slightly.

The young man eyed the girl. "You hired a maid?"

Naruto sighed softly. "She was forced onto me by that woman, Sasuke."

The young man known as Sasuke nodded his head slightly. "And you accepted it?"

"Did I have any other choice? Do you believe she literally slept outside in the rain when I told her to?"

Hinata felt her face burned with the embarrassment. There were literally talking like she was not present in front of them.

"Ah, such loyalty." Sasuke said amused. He took a big gulp of the drink.

"You say loyalty, I call her a fool." Naruto frowned. "Hinata, instead of being up under me why don't you make yourself useful and go fetch us some sandwiches. Now."

Hinata bowed. "Yes, sir." She walked away.

"Do you talk to her like that often, Naruto?"

Naruto turned his head slightly and was approached by the first female doctor, Tsunade, and her assistant Shizune.

Sasuke bowed respectfully at his senior. "Good evening, Lady Tsunade."

"I'm surprise you haven't let her go." Tsunade said, wearing a warm smile. "Why don't you try to treat her nicely, after all she was once was from a clan of high ranking."

"Keyword: was."

"Is she from the Hyuga clan?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade nodded her head. "Yeah, that was before the war nearly wiped most of them out. The only survivors that were left were three small children."

Shizune was taken back, while Sasuke looked away. His family had been fortunate because they were basically on the far west of Konoha, while the Hyugas unfortunately were on the north side where the enemy attacked first.

' _To think that man wouldn't take care of the surviving Hyugas. They really did a lot for Konoha.' Shizue thought._

"Naruto, you better take care of that girl." Tsunade said walking away. "Do you think your mother will be pleased?'

His head quickly snapped up. Sasuke placed his hand on top of his shoulder and shook his head. "It makes no sense to argue here, Naruto. Let's enjoy ourselves like it's our last." He advised.

"Sir." Hinata said. She walked up to him in a cutesy manner and handed him a plate of sandwiches. "Mister." She turned to Sasuke and him a plate. "Would you like me to take that drink from you?"

Sasuke handed her the glass cup and took a bite of the sandwiches.

"Nephew!"

Naruto turned in the direction of the voice and saw his auntie Saya approaching them. She wore a long green dress that sparkled, and her was placed in a bun. "It is so nice of you to join." She said kissing him on the cheek, leaving a red lip stain. Hinata seeing it took out a handkerchief and dab her tongue on it a little.

"Sasuke." Saya said kissing the boy as well.

"Sir." Hinata called out. Naruto look in her direction, and she gently wiped the lipstick stain from his cheek.

Before she could remove her hand, Naruto gently grabbed it which made Hinata gazed into his blue eyes. The touch of her small dainty hand sent a shiver down his spine that he couldn't explain. Him gripping her hand was also involuntary.

"Oh, and who is this?" Saya said broking up the two. Her eyes slightly widened when she noticed it was Hinata. Naruto quickly let go of her hand and stared at his auntie in a bore manner. "Hinata, is that you?" She said surprisingly.

Hinata bowed. "Good evening, miss. I'm here accompanying Naruto as instructed.

Naruto scoffed. "There is no need to explain yourself to this woman."

Saya smiled slightly. "I see. Well, enjoy yourselves." She told them before walking off.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "Are you still going at it with her?"

Naruto eyed her down until she was out of his sight. "I do not trust her."

"Um, Mister." Hinata said approaching Sasuke. "Forgive me for interrupting, but you have a stain on your cheek." She told him. She took out another handkerchief. "Do you wish for me to remove it?" He signaled Hinata to remove it, and she did.

"I'm surprise I haven't seen Shikamaru." Naruto spoke up.

"You know he hates going to these kinds of things." Sasuke replied.

"He surely has an old spirit." Naruto commended.

"Sasuke. Naruto."

The youngster turned their heads to a young woman approaching them. Hinata also stared in the direction and was mesmerized by her beauty. She had long pink hair that stopped at her middle back, and round jade color eyes. Her skin was fair and pale, and her lips were colored with a light pink lipstick. She wore a long light green gown that also sparkled with the rays of the chandelier.

"Sakura." Sasuke acknowledge her.

She giggled childishly. Everything about her screamed beautiful and she seemed to light up the room with her gorgeous smile. Hinata couldn't but stare in awe.

"Hello, Sakura." Naruto greeted. "Where is your sidekick?"

She tilted her head to the side before smiling. "Ah, Ino should be here soon. Do you believe she actually dragged Shikamaru along?"

Hinata couldn't help but stare. Sakura was a cheery person and seemed to smile a lot. Versus her who was gloomy and unkempt.

Sakura feeling someone stare at here took notice of Hinata. "Who is this?" She asked.

Hinata lowered her head and cowered behind Naruto when she felt all eyes on here.

"This is Hinata. She was given to me by my auntie." Naruto enlightened her.

Sakura smiled. "Hi there Hinata," she bowed. "I'm Sakura."

Hinata bowed slightly. "Good evening, Miss Sakura." Hinata thought the girl couldn't smile any wider, but she did.

"I hope you're taking care of Naruto. He can be stubborn at times, but he is quite a nice guy." She said latching onto the boy's arm. _'Those eyes look very familiar. Ah, she's from the Hyuga clan. I thought all of them were wiped out.' Sakura thought._

Naruto was annoyed. "Remove yourself off of me."

Sakura frowned as she let go of Naruto.

" _I guess I'm not the only one Naruto treats like that." Hinata thought._

"Hinata, get me another drink."

Hinata bowed before taking her leave. She stood in front of table and poured the glass with some red wine.

"Do you think he's fucking her?"

The tip of Hinata's ear reddened when she overheard a woman's voice spoke. It was such a distasteful word coming from a woman's mouth.

"I think so. He's young after all. You know men will fuck anything thrown at them."

"I wonder who they are talking about." Hinata said to herself.

"I don't know what Saya was thinking giving him such a young maid. She couldn't have opted for an older woman?"

The ladies walked past her and continued their mindless chatter. She walked back to Naruto and was met with a new face; a young blonde woman who wore her hair down and a side bang covering her eye. She was just as beautiful as Sakura. Her dress was a light blue dress, that was fitted on her. Honestly, Hinata had never saw such a thing, but she had to admit that it was quite beautiful on her.

"Here is your drink, sir."

"Oh-ho-ho-ho," the young blonde woman lips curled up. "And who is this?"

Sakura smiled. "That's Hinata. She's accompanying Naruto."

"A date?" She questioned.

Sakura giggled. "No, apparently Naruto's aunt provided him a maid, Ino."

"I mean who else is going to clean up the place of yours." Ino said jabbing him on his stomach.

"Why is everyone touching me today?" Naruto questioned as he snatched the drink from Hinata's hand. He drank it down in one gulp.

Hinata nearly jumped of her skin when she heard a voice groaning from behind Ino. Ino seeing the girl jumped, laughed. "Oh, don't worry Hinata. It's just Shikamaru." She said moving out the way so Hinata could spot the young lad lying on the floor.

"Um, is he going to be okay?" She noticing the boy stirring around.

"Oh yeah, he'll be perfectly fine." Ino reassured her. "By the way I'm Ino."

Hinata bowed. "Good evening, Miss Ino. My name is Hinata."

"So formal." She fanned Hinata.

Ino unlike Sakura, from Hinata's observance, seemed to be a rowdy character; wild. Hinata could tell by the way she had a tight grip on the man's collar she called Shikamaru.

"Look at all you of youthful people just standing here." Saya said sadly. "What a waste of youth. The floor is open. Go and dance." She said.

"Auntie, there's no one to dance with." Sakura complained. "And you can't expect us to dance with these dweebs."

"Sakura, Ino, you two are pretty young ladies and I'm sure someone will take your hands and twirl with you on the dance floor." She said twirling around.

"Fine." They sighed undefeated.

"Naruto, why don't you dance with Sakura." Saya suggested. She took the cup of his hand and gave it to Hinata. She pushed the young man onto the dance floor towards Sakura.

Naruto sighed. "Just dance with me so she'll leave me alone." He told her.

Sakura frowned. "That's not how you speak to a you- hey!"

Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and danced with her slowly spinning her around every so often. Sakura blushed. "When did you learn to dance?"

"Living with my aunt for a time, I learned a few tricks just to keep her from nagging." He said a dry tone. "Don't be deceive." He almost said in a cocky tone.

As he was dancing, he took note of Hinata who was standing there just watching. She shined the most in the crowd and was surprise no one took notice of the girl. He couldn't deny it, but she was beautiful, but it seemed to be hidden.

The people on the floor dance to the sweet sound of the violin and the ladies swirled and swirled with their partners as the music went faster.

"You know she's apart of the Hyuga clan that was wiped away." Sakura told him. He took his focus off Hinata and stared into jade eyes.

"Yeah, I was told."

Their hands intertwined, and they danced around the room and other people.

"You better not get any ideas neither. I'm only dancing with you because you forced me to." Sakura scolded him. "I don't need Sasuke getting any wrong impressions."

"Don't flatter yourself, Sakura. Like I said I'm only doing this to keep her mouth shut." He glanced back at Hinata, who was talking with Sasuke. His eyes narrowed when Sasuke took her to on the dance floor and the two danced.

He couldn't keep his eyes off Hinata and wondered who thought her how to dance. Her face glowed, and the way her gown flowed with every step and twirled was like a fantasy. He watched the audience who was captivated by the sight. Sakura gazed at the direction Naruto was looking at and saw Sasuke dancing with the maid.

"I'm sorry if I am no good at this, Mister Uchiha." Hinata said.

"You're doing better than I imagined." Sasuke said. "And please call me Sasuke." He whispered into her ear.

Hinata gazed at the young man and blushed. His eyes were like charcoal, and it reminded her a little bit of Naruto's own; his skin was pale and had black hair that reminded her of the night. Totally opposite of Naruto whose own resembled the sun and sky.

"I know Naruto could be a little dick, excuse my language. But please take care of him, my dear friend needs it." He told her.

Hinata nodded her head slight. "I'll do my best."

Sasuke gave her a faint smile. "Thank you."

With those words, the music ended, and the audience applauded the youngsters who decided to dance.

"Who's that dancing with Sasuke?"

Ino growled. "Shikamaru, I literally told you who she was five minutes ago."

Shikamaru sighed. "All I wanted was a normal life, a wife that wouldn't-

"Shut it." Ino barked.

"Is she seducing the Uchiha child too?" Saya turned in the direction of a well-known voice, Setsuna, her childhood friend. "I overheard some of the ladies talking about it."

Saya scoffed. "It's not my concern. Naruto is to do whatever he chooses to do, and if it pleases him to have someone else takes what is, I have no say in the matter."

Setsuna giggled. "As expected from a hot-blooded Uzumaki."

Saya stuck her nose in the air.

"Hinata." Naruto called out.

Hinata scurried to her master. "Yes, sir?"

"Let's go." He said as he made his way out of the crowd.

Hinata bowed at Sasuke. "Remember what I told you." He reminded her. She took once more glimpse at him before taking her leave to follow Naruto.

As they were walking outside the boy swayed left and right, almost nearly falling in a puddle of water on the road.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

"I'm just a little tipsy. Not a big deal." He told her.

He sat on a near by bench and slouched forward. Hinata went by his side to check up on him. "Would you like me to call a cab?"

Naruto shook his head. He looked up at the night sky and took a deep inhale of the air. "The air smells different tonight, huh?"

Hinata tilted her head to the side innocently. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Naruto."

"The air. Sometimes it smells different, almost as if it trying to remind you of the past." He informed her. "It smells," he paused, "nice."

Hinata figured the man was too drunk to fully understand what he was saying. She sat next to him and waited for a command.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked her.

"It wasn't for me to enjoy myself, sir. But to serve you and make sure you had everything you needed. Are you feeling better to walk a little longer? We're almost by the house."

Naruto got up slowly and walked towards the walkway to his house. He nearly fell to the side until Hinata caught him on time. He was quite heavier than her fragile body and the dress she wore was not making it any better, but she mustered the strength to help him to his manor.

After a while, she finally made it inside. "Sir." Hinata called out. She lied him on the middle of the entrance floor. Naruto's eyes fluttered opened and he stared into her lavender eyes.

Hinata was taken back when he planted a kiss on her lips. He tried to get up, but it was no use. His body felt heavy, so he rolled onto his side and held onto her hand.

' _He kissed me.'_ She thoughts. Her heart fluttered, and a wave of nervousness swam in her stomach. She looked down at him once more.

He'd look so cute, sleeping there on the cold-tiled floor.

Awakening sometime in the night, he got up frogly and looked around. He felt something warm touching his hand. Looking down, he saw Hinata laying next to him, still wearing her ball gown. He was confused. When did he get here? Had he blackout?

She had covered him in a blanket and rested a pillow underneath his head. Realizing he had was intertwine with Hinata's hand, he gently slipped away.

The girl lied on the cold floor, no blanket, and no pillow. Had she falling asleep while watching him?

Naruto tumbled a little, but he'd managed to get up. He picked Hinata up and walked to the maid's head quarter. He bumped into a vase on the table, and it fell to the floor. He cursed himself. He entered her room and placed her on top of the futon and collapsed next to her. With trembling hands, he grabbed the blanket and threw it over the two of them.

His eyes fluttered opened as the image of Hinata faded in and out. After a while of fighting sleep, he fell into a deep slumber of a dreamless night.

 **~Please Review. ~**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The sun beamed inside the maid's headquarters as Hinata was making up her futon. Her mind wandered to yesterday's events and she was still a little surprise. Naruto had kissed her. Every time she thought about it, she felt her face go hot. She didn't know how to feel about it. Of course, the young boy was slightly intoxicated, so she couldn't be too upset about it and like he said prior he was not the kind of gentleman.

She couldn't remember anything else that happened besides her falling asleep beside him, but somehow, she was in her room. She panicked at first but noticed her clothes were still intact.

The house was eerily quiet as Hinata was the only one there. Naruto wasn't there when she'd woken up and he didn't leave a message telling her where he would be. She opened the front door and was startled by a young scruffy looking boy standing there.

"Good mornin' ma'am! Is your master home?" He said adjusting his cap. The young boy looked no older than her younger sister. He had shaggy brown hair that needed a serious cut, and he wore a white cotton t-shirt that had some dirt stains splattered on it and dark gray knickers.

Hinata bowed. "I do apologize, but the master isn't home and I'm not sure when he's going to be back." She looked at the buggy behind the boy and saw some gardening tools in it.

"Ah, okay. Well if he needs service, I specialize in gardening and I couldn't help but notice he may need some help." He grinned playfully. "Of course, with a little pay and a place to live." He laughed wholeheartedly. Hinata couldn't explain it, but the boy had a burst of unimaginable energy just by the way he spoke. "But I'll be on my way. Good day, ma'am." He said tilting his cap.

Hinata bowed again and watched as the young boy walked to the main road. She stared at his feet and was surprised to find he had no shoes.

"I told him he should hire somebody," Hinata muttered to herself. Her eyes lingered to the boy who disappeared, and she couldn't help but shake her head. "He looks so young. I wish I had something I could give him." She mumbled to herself.

It was nice and sunny out and Hinata soaked up the sun's rays that hit her. She took in a deep breath and let it all out.

"Hanabi." She hummed.

Dinner time was quickly approaching and Hinata was in the kitchen making the master supper. He never gave her a set time for dinner or anything of that nature. The master was laidback, a scrooge but he had his nice moments.

Her ears wiggled when she heard the door to the front entrance opened. She stopped what she was doing and went to greet him.

"Good day, Naruto." She bowed. Her eyes lingered to the bloodstains splattered on his shirt and her eyes widened.

"Oh- good day." He mumbled.

"Um,- sir. Are you okay? A- Are you hurt?" She questioned him in a panic. "Should I call a doctor?" She went to touch him, but he brushed her off.

"I am fine. I'm going to take me a bath." He walked towards the parlor, leaving a trail of mud behind him.

"Would you like me to prepare your afternoon bath?" Her voice was soft, but her eyes could not turn away from the bloodstain. _'Is that his blood or someone's else?'_ Her legs trembled.

"I can do it myself." His voice sounded colder than usual. "Has there been any messages for me?"

"Oh, t- t-there was a young man here who said he specialized in gardening and noticed your garden needed some help." She avoided his eyes that seemed to pierce into her soul.

He poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Is that so? I already have you to fix it up, eh?"

"I suppose, b- but it's not my specialty sir. It'll be best for someone to work on it." She turned her gaze to the carpet beneath them. The man was in a foul mood. "There are some beautiful flowers in the garden, and I would hate to see them go." She muttered.

"I'm already stuck with you. Why would I want someone else to come here?" He snarled. "Maybe instead of standing there you can pick up a book and read about gardening, huh?" He brushed past her.

Hinata sighed softly. "I'll have your dinner ready within the hour, sir."

* * *

Naruto chewed the rice slowly as he was in deep thought. He was out most of the day because he, Sasuke and Sakura had to travel to a nearby village on the outskirts of Konoha. Tsunade needed some herbs and supplies delivered there because these people were still affected by the war. Some too many ill civilians didn't have the resources to become stable.

He sighed once more as he remembered the events.

 _Naruto gazed upon Hinata who was sleeping peacefully on her futon. Her soft angelic face looked so peaceful and her long silky hair was soft to touch. The door closed behind him and he walked down the long corridors and up the stairs. He glanced at the big empty spot, that seemed to be missing something, in front of him and he looked away as he headed upstairs to the right-wing._

 _He put on his brown knickers and a white pleated front puffed sleeve shirt he tucked into his knickers. His head turned slightly to the door when he heard the doorbell ringing. He tied his brown boots and left to answer the door as seeing Hinata was still asleep._

 _"Naruto!"_

 _He glanced at Sakura then Sasuke who was posted on the white pillar. "What is it?"_

 _Before Sakura could speak, Sasuke answered. "Sakura needs us to accompany her to the outskirts of Konoha to deliver some materials to Tsunade."_

 _Sakura nodded her hair. "They're all ready to go." She said stepping out of the way so he could see the buggy with two chest pieces resting on the back. "It's kind of dangerous if I go alone and with all the bandits lurking about. Tsunade feels it'll bebest if you two accompany me."_

 _Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Let's go."_

 _Both Sakura and Sasuke sat in the front while Naruto sat in the back to make sure the two chests were secured and to be on the lookout for any bandits._

 _Sasuke whipped the horse occasionally and they gallop on the road leaving a dust of smoke behind them. "What time should we reach?" Sasuke spoke loudly over the galloping horses._

 _"By noon!"_

 _"Tch." He spat._

 _"She could have at least informed us of this when she saw us last night," Naruto spoke._

 _Sakura turned to face Naruto. "It was last minute. She found out about this before the sun rose."_

 _"Who sent her?" Sasuke glanced at Sakura._

 _"Danzo."_

 _Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at Naruto and the two stared into one another eyes momentarily before Sasuke fixed his eyes on the road._

 _"Hey! At least he's doing something good now, right?" Sakura laughed nervously when there was no response._

 _The sun followed them as they continued their journey. Sakura fanned herself with a mini white fan and would sip some water from the container. "Ah, today feels so lovely. We should make a plan to head to the beach one day before winter comes."_

 _"Can you even swim?" Naruto inquired._

 _"Yes!" She turned around and glared at him. "It's Ino-pig who can't swim!"_

 _Naruto smirked. He continued to be the lookout. The dust-covered most of his view. He relaxed slightly until he saw something in the distance once the dust died down._

 _"It seems we have some company," Naruto shouted. Sakura turned around and saw two horse buggies quickly approaching them._

 _She ducked her head down once she heard the gunshots firing._

 _Naruto loaded up his silver pistol and started firing at the thugs who grinned sadistically at them._

 _"Let's make this easy!" One of the men shouted. "We won't kill ya if ya give us ya stuff and the girl."_

 _Naruto fired at the man, missing him. "Ah shit. That should have hit him." He clicked his tongue. One of the men retaliated and shot the gun, but it hit one of the chest pieces that protected Naruto's abdomen. "I would have been a goner." He mumbled as he ducked down._

 _One of the horse buggies picked up speed and was neck in neck with Sasuke. Sasuke stared at a greyish looking man who had several teeth in his mouth grinning at him. He pointed the gun at Sasuke, but before he could shoot Sasuke ducked his head and Sakura shot the pistol. The man fell over and fell to the ground only to be trampled by the horses._

 _Naruto ripped the covering with a sword to get a better view of what was going on._

 _"Dobe, do your job!"_

 _"Ah, shut up," Naruto said as he jumped into the buggy on the side of them._

 _"Sakura, take the ropes," Sasuke said handing her the blackish ropes._

 _He got up and started shooting at the people in the buggy behind them._

 _Naruto sword through the men who tried to tackle him. Some of the blood splattered on his shirt and he punched one of the men in their face as they tried to hold him down._

 _Sasuke shot one of the horses and it went down, causing the other horse to fall over it. He jumped off the buggy and ran up to the one that carried several men. The jumped from it and circled Sasuke who only smirked playfully at them. He pulled out a sword from his scabbard and begin to strike them down. "18... 19… 20… 21…" He struck down the last man. He unbuckled the horse from the buggy and jumped on it._

 _Naruto had just sliced down his last man. Sakura was up ahead waiting for the two to finish up. She took out a container of water and gave it to the two horses. She rubbed their heads. "Good boy." She nuzzled them. "You did well. All two of you."_

 _"Ah, this slowed down our journey," Naruto complained. He sat on a rock posted by a tree. Sakura handed him a container of water and sighed._

 _"I know. I know." She glanced at his blood-stained shirt. "When is this going to end? There's been a lot of bandits and robberies lately that the locals are afraid to travel."_

 _"It's never going to," Naruto drank a gulp of the water. "It's a dog eat dog world out there and a lot of people were affected by the war- rich and poor." He wiped his mouth. "Can we blame them?"_

 _Sakura and Naruto both got in defense mode when they heard a horse galloping towards them. Naruto took out his gun slowly from behind him but eased up when he saw Sasuke approaching them._

 _"Twenty-one." He breathed out._

 _"Maybe if I shoot you, we could make it even." Naruto rolled his eyes._

 _The remainder of the journey was smooth, and they made it to the outskirts of Konohana by one. Tsunade exited the tent once they announced their arrival. She spotted the blood-stained men and shook her head. "Bandits?"_

 _Sakura nodded her head. "There were two buggies full of them."_

 _Naruto and Sasuke looked around the conditions of the small village and weren't surprised. The war was almost eleven years ago, but these people were still living in it. The houses were dismantled, and there were several people, including children lying on tattered mats._

 _Sakura noticing the conditions it stared in disbelief. "Where are the rest?"_

 _Tsunade looked down and a daunting feeling washed over the trio. "We had seven that just passed away, and this is all who are remaining," Tsunade replied._

 _"These people don't need materials!" Sakura shouted. "They need real resources, a home, nurses, a hospital Tsunade-sama!" She was upset because she didn't know the conditions were this bad._

 _"This is the best I could do, Sakura." Her voice was hushed. "Please don't make a big fuss out of this."_

Naruto placed the chopsticks on the table. He rubbed his arms as a chilling wind brushed past him. The windows were shut, and too anyone else this would creep them out, but to him it was normal. It made it feel less lonely; like somebody was there watching him.

His mind went back to Hinata. He wasn't trying to be mean on purpose to her, but he was a little upset about today's turn of events. It seemed death was better to embrace than a life worth living.

"Excuse me, sir. Did you not enjoy today's dinner?" Hinata stepped in to check on him. She noticed he'd barely eating any of the food she'd prepared.

"I'm not hungry is all."

Hinata stacked the plate of food carefully on one another, but she had this nagging feeling in the back of her head to ask him how he was feeling. "Is everything okay, sir?"

"It doesn't concern you." He scolded her.

"I'm s-

"But thanks for asking." He muttered softly. "I'll be off to bed."

Hinata bowed. "Goodnight."

* * *

Hinata handed Naruto a newspaper that was delivered early morn'. He read over it and his eyes slanted slightly, but it was enough to catch Hinata's attention.

"Is everything okay?"

"There's a storm brewing and is expected to reach here by Saturday." He mumbled. "Hopefully it'll die down as it approaches us."

"A typhoon?" Hinata gasped. Her heart leaped as she thought about Hanabi. Naruto seeing the worry expression on her face fanned her off.

"Suna won't be affected, so you mustn't worry about your sister. We need to get a few items since it's expected to be a lot of rain and wind."

Hinata nodded her head.

"This is going to be troublesome," Naruto said. "Go fetch me my coat from the parlor. We need to head out soon before the store gets crowded."

Hinata strolled behind Naruto as they walked down the road. She remained quiet and let her mind wandered. There was an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach "The last time we had a typhoon was eleven years ago before the war." She ran beside him. "Do you remember? It left almost thirty people dead. This is a sign isn't it?"

"Hinata," He said in a serious tone, "please refrain from speaking about the war in public." He kept his eyes fixed on the dusky road. But the uneasy feeling would not settle. She lowered her head. "It's getting colder since winter is approaching soon. We need to get you some warmer clothes."

"Yes, sir." She replied in a hushed tone.

Naruto kept looking over his shoulders to look at Hinata who still had her head lowered. She'd look like a lost puppy following behind him. "Hinata, raise your head when you're in public with me."

"Sorry." She said slightly raising her head.

"I believe there is something seriously wrong with you. Do I need to get a doctor?"

"No, sir." She responded.

The sun was tucked between some gray clouds and the sky was slightly blue. They finally entered Konoha Market where Hinata wandered off to get some quick items. Naruto went his separate way but was spotted by his Aunt much to his dislike.

"Naruto, sweetie." She hugged him shortly. "Did you read today's paper? What are you going to do about the storm?" She inquired. "Why don't you stay with us? When was the last time you seen Karin or Nagato?" She bombarded him with questions. "You used to play with them when you were a young boy." She said sighing.

Naruto smiled meekly. "Thank you for the offer, but I'd rather stay home and fuck the maid."

Saya's eyes slightly widened. "W- with that girl?" She said in a disgusted tone.

Naruto placed his hands behind his back and gave her a childish smile.

"But there are better suitors out there for you." Saya reminded him. "What about Sakura? She's so nice and sweet."

"Why are you concern?"

"You're my only nephew and I worry about you, believe it or not." She placed her hands on her hip.

"Well, there is no need. I am fine on my own."

Once he was out of sight, Saya's facial expression changed. If it was true and he was having sex with Hinata, this will make her plans to take his inheritance easy. She almost felt sorry for the poor girl—Hinata. She had already been through so much, losing her family, leaving her sister, becoming a maid, and now to be suspected of murdering the only Namikaze heir; she couldn't help but giggle. Yes, her plans were working after all.

Naruto wondered around the market in search of Hinata. They didn't need much. Sometimes he worried about her because she could be such an airhead at times.

He stopped and let his eyes wandered around the market but couldn't spot that grim aura. He stepped outside just in time to see her being pulled against her will into a narrow alleyway.

"Now, now Hinata," Sebastian said as he caressed her soft cheek. The girl shivered slightly by his touch. "I've missed you so much." He said wrapping his arms around Hinata and hugging her. "Let's run away and get married. Just you and I." Sebastian said. "We'll have a lot of money, so I'm begging that you just wait and if anything happens to come to me. Do not speak to anyone!" He gave her a soft kiss on the lips before departing the opposite way.

Hinata was dumbfounded. She turned to walk back to the market and was met by Naruto who was just standing there. Hinata stopped in her tracks and stared at the beautiful creature standing there so majestically. His soft yellow hair and sharped blue eyes made her heart quiver. He had on his light brown trousers and white long sleeve shirt that was folded by his elbows and here she was, the opposite of him in everything.

He walked down the alley angrily and grabbed her by her wrist. She winced in pain as she was confused. "What was that?" He said bitterly. "Marry? Runaway?" He squeezed her wrist tighter until she began to whimper. "Have you no shame! To do this in the afternoon when the streets are full. Are you trying to bring shame to your family!"

"Shame?" She cried. "The moment I survived the war I disgraced my family!" She yanked her arm away. "It doesn't matter what I do," her eyes water, "or where I go. I have no honor to my name, not anymore."

He didn't know how to respond because part of him felt angry about what he overheard and witness. "Go." He mumbled under his breath. "I said go! Go home and you wait for me!" He shouted at her; his face turned red.

Hinata picked up the hem of her kimono and ran as fast as she could to the Namikaze manor. Her tears flew with the wind, her heart was beating fast and her feet burned her.

Once reaching home, she threw herself on the ground and she cried. The frustration welled up inside of her and she began to hit the tatami repeatedly.

Naruto spotted his Aunt and her husband walking towards their buggy and quickly approached them. Before Saya could say anything, Naruto spoke in a harsh tone. "You stay away from her." He said pointing his finger at the older man.

"What-

"You heard me! If I ever catch you touching her again, I will make your life a living hell." He said staring Sebastian down. "And don't you ever put your hands on her again," Naruto said turning to his aunt. "She belongs to me." And with those words, he stormed off.

Saya turned to Sebastian with a troubling look. "What did you do?"

Sebastian stiffened. "I don't know what he's talking about."

The anger that stirred inside him made him lose focus. It was absurd the way his uncle spoke about running off and getting married to Hinata! Out of all people, he wants her. And what made him more upset was that she didn't push him off. How could she allow him to do that? Suppose someone had seen or heard? He placed his hands on his sides and stared at his house.

"Hinata!" He called out as he barged into the house. Hinata jerked her head up suddenly. "Hinata!" She heard him shout.

Hinata quickly ran out of her room and was faced by an angry Naruto who had just entered the maids headquarter. The look on his face made her legs trembled; she was afraid of him. The air felt eerie as neither spoke, and he knew she was afraid of him. All the color from her face had disappeared and her body was trembling like a wet dog.

"Hinata." He paused as he tried to calm his nerves. "What is your association with Sebastian?"

"Nothing!" She blurted out. "He's my former master and there is nothing more."

"Then why did you not move when he said those words to you? When he kissed you?" His eyes slanted slightly.

"Because I'm afraid." Was her honest answer.

"Afraid? Of him?" The anger vanished from his face and was replaced with a look of confusion.

Hinata nodded her head. "Afraid of what he can do."

"Then you are not romantically involved with him?"

"Never!" She responded.

"Hinata, as long as you are with me there is nothing to be afraid of. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Then you are not upset with me anymore?" She asked.

"No. It seems I overdid it." He ran his hand through his hair.

He did something unexpected and gave her a slight hug. "Please make me some ramen." He said as he walked away with his hands in his pocket.

* * *

It was Friday morning when Sasuke knocked on the door impatiently. The door creaked open slowly and Hinata greeted him.

"Good morn-

Her words were cut off when Sasuke barged inside the Namikaze manor. "Where is the dobe?"

Hinata was taken back. "Who?"

Sasuke brushed past her and entered Naruto's favorite spot- the parlor. He saw Naruto sitting there reading a newspaper. He heard a quick groan escaped Naruto's lips and the newspaper made a crunching sound.

"That was rude of you, teme."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I think you'll be interested in what I have to tell you. Do you have a more- private place?" Sasuke said eyeing Naruto.

He placed the newspaper down on the brown table and his eyes widened once he saw the look on his best friend's face.

* * *

The smell of light rain made its way to Konoha and the once blue sky were now gray. A little gust of wind scattered some discarded leaves around and the sun was nowhere to be seen. In the Namikaze manor, Hinata was gazing out the little circular window that was not boarded.

It didn't look too bad, but she knew the dangers this storm can bring. The village in the mist had five casualties and took major damages because of the wind.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the thunder. The lights flickered off and on in her room.

"Hinata! Make me some tea!" Naruto yelled. "I need some before these lights go out." He grumbled as he walked into the parlor. "Heaven knows how long they're going to be off for."

Hinata walked out of the room and slowly and noticed, even with the lights on, the house seemed to darken, and she didn't like it one bit. After all, it was only three in the afternoon.

"I want green tea this time, no sugar," Naruto said.

"Yes, sir."

He waited in the parlor as he read through the newspaper. His head slightly turned to the window that faced his front yard and saw something flew by. "It's already picking up." He grumbled.

There was a big commotion outside, and the thunder echoed crackled loudly, and a big flash of light made its way into the windows Naruto had left untouched. The lights went out momentarily and a ghastly shriek pierced his ears. He threw the newspaper to the ground and ran down the hall to the kitchen. Just as he entered the kitchen the lights turned on and he spotted Hinata shivering.

"Are you okay?" He ran to her but slowed down when he heard something shattering under his feet. It was a glass teapot. He looked down and saw the little pieces of glasses shattered on the kitchen tiles. "Are you okay?" He asked once more as he stepped over the glass and next to Hinata who stopped trembling.

"It startled me." She whispered.

Hinata expected him to yell at her for being clumsy, but instead, he just nodded his head. "I can't say I blame you; I was a little startled myself." He said truthfully. He kneeled and began to pick up the big pieces of shards. Hinata quickly left and returned with a small broom and dustpan.

"Let me do it, Naruto." She kneeled next to him and tried to sweep the shards into the greyish dusk pan.

"I'll do it. I still would like some tea before the lights turn off." He said taking the miniature broom and dusk pan from her.

"Yes, sir."

Just as Hinata finished with the tea, the lights turned off. Naruto had a kerosene lamp with him. He lit the match and put against a brownish cloth and there was light, just enough for him and Hinata to see somewhat.

"How long do you think it's going to be off?" she asked, her voice quivered.

"Probably a day or two." He groaned.

"Here is your tea." Hinata poured the tea into a green teacup. "Would you like to me to rest it in the parlor?"

"No. I'll just drink some here." He sat on top of the stool. Hinata stood diligently across the counter as she avoided eye contact with Naruto who sipped on the hot tea. He grabbed the teapot by the handle and said, "Hinata go get yourself a cup."

Without saying a word, she scurried through the dark and came back with a similar cup-like Naruto's.

"Sit." He commanded, and she did so.

He poured the green tea into the miniature cup and placed it on top of the counter. Hinata grabbed a wooden tea placer and placed the hot teapot on top of it.

"Thank you."

The room was awfully quiet and the two sat in the darkness sipping on the tea.

"Hinata, about that incident" He closed his eyes slowly as he tried to remember what took play, "What did Sebastian mean when he told you that you two will have a lot of money and if anything happens to come to him?"

"I don't know." She said in a faint whisper. "Honestly, I don't." She spoke up. "But you must believe me, I will never do anything of that sort. I would never run away with a married man."

Naruto nodded his head. "I understand." He placed the teacup down. "If any other strange things are said to you please report back to me."

"Yes, sir."

The rain began to pour, hitting on the roof of the house. The lighting shined three or four times in a second, and thunder followed later. Hinata felt the house tremble and she shivered. This was nothing like the typhoon they experience before. It almost felt ferocious.

If it was anything Hinata hated, it was the dark and right now she was at her wit's end. The only thing that kept her composure was Naruto's presence and she was grateful. "Would you like to sit in the parlor, Naruto?"

It was starting to get darker by the minute.

"No, we need to get some more oil for the kerosene lamp." He picked up the lamp and walked away. "You can stay here."

"I can follow you, sir." Hinata insisted as she quickened her pace.

She followed closely behind him as he led the way down the hall. The house was dark and the only noise she heard was the pounding rain and the occasional thunders. Her pace was slower than Naruto, and she had to run behind him to keep up.

He held the lamp up as they went down to an unknown portion of the house. "Hold this." He said passing her the lamp.

The keys he had in his pocket made a slight jingle and the light seem to fade every second.

"Si- Naruto, the light," Hinata said, her voice trembled.

As soon as he unlocked the door, the lights went out.

"Na … Naruto, sir." Hinata said as she frantically looked around the dark place.

"I'm here." He said. It was his fault for not getting the stuff they needed earlier. The news Sasuke brought to him upset him. He shook those thoughts away. He felt something warm touch his hand and he shuddered. He squeezed her hand gently and she felt her heart thump. "Are you afraid of the dark, Hinata?"

"Y … yes. Please don't let go."

The prankster side of him wanted to play scare the girl to her wit's end, but he knew it was not the time. She was fragile and sensitive as it is. There was no telling what she would do.

"Okay." He led her through the door, and he maneuvered in the darkness. Naruto felt her shivering and tightened the grip around her petite hand. With his free hand, he felt his way through the shelf and retrieved the oil he needed. "Hinata, hold on to my trousers. I need to get the other kerosene lamp." He told her.

She did as she was told and all along her mind was racing. Naruto came off as insensitive, but during these past days, his actions were almost questionable. Then she thought about if she had still lived with Saya. It would be completely different.

"Hold on tight. We're going to the parlor." He said.

They walked through the narrow hallway and the thunder was still booming outside. "Naruto, sir … you're not afraid of the dark?"

There was silence amongst them until he decided to speak. "No. I love the darkness. It's something about it that calm my nerves."

He grabbed a match to see what he was doing. He poured the oil in the glass bowl shape lamp and lit the cloth. The light was brighter than before and Hinata was excited.

He turned to face her and asked, "Why are you afraid of the dark?"

She was hesitant to say at first, but she knew he would repeatedly ask until she spoke. She turned around and clenched her hands together. "I know you said not to speak about," She swallowed the lump in her throat, "but when it happened," She fell silent.

Naruto raised his eyebrow and said, "When what happened?"

"When the war broke out, there was an explosion on the right ring of the Hyuga manor. I just so happened to be there after mother told me to stay with Hanabi and Neji on the left-wing." She rubbed her eyes. "I was playing hide and seek, and I hid in the closet." She squeezed her eyes shut as the memories flood back to her. "And the siren rang, and I heard screaming and planes. And the smell of fire … guns … flesh burning, and it collapsed on me." She fell to her knees and she held her head and her breathing ceased.

 _'Mama help me! I'm scared.'_

"And it was dark. So dark and I felt like my body was going to explode." She hugged her knees. "But the darkness frightened me the most and I couldn't –

Warm arms wrapped around her small body and embraced her. "It's okay. It' okay."

The two stayed like that for some time and Hinata felt at ease. The thunder nor lighting frightened her as long as he was there.

The storm outside was still ferocious.

"How long do you think it's going to last?" Hinata asked.

They were sitting on the long red sofa in the parlor and the light from the kerosene lamp made a crackling noise. Their breathing was in sync and little beads of sweat formed on their foreheads. Naruto had loosened his shirt and rolled up his sleeves as high as it would go.

"They said it should leave by ten this night." He said, "but there are still going to be some heavy rain."

Naruto felt himself dozing off, but he jerked his body each time he did so.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine. It's boring." He replied in a dry tone.

Hinata thought about it. "Let's play rock, paper, scissors." She suggested.

"Aren't we a little too old for- the look in her eyes made him stop talking, and he sighed. "Okay. Fine."

Hinata smiled widely. "Okay."

The two said in unison, "Rock, paper, scissors … Shoot!"

Hinata made paper, and Naruto had rock. She looked at her hands before squealing.

"Again." He demanded.

"Rock, paper, scissors … Shoot!"

Hinata let out another high-pitched scream as she clapped her hands together. Naruto couldn't believe he lost to her two times in a row.

"Again." He said irritated.

Hinata noticed this and smiled. He was such a little kid.

"Rock, paper, scissors … Shoot!"

He almost knocked her over as he won. "Ha!"

She stared at him surprisingly and realizing what he did he cleared his throat. "The rain seems to still be going at it, huh?"

A warm smile graced her face and she nodded. "Yes."

Naruto stretched out his arms and yawned. "I'm getting a little sleepy. I'm going to bed now." He grabbed one of the lamps and was about to walk away when Hinata got up. He glanced at her. "Are you okay?" He then paused as he remembered what she told him.

Sweat beads were forming on his forehead and he was getting hot. His main goal was to go to his bedroom and sleep naked. "You don't want to try sleeping in your room?"

"N… No."

He sighed. "If I take you upstairs with me, you're going to have to sit on the chair." He walked away.

Hinata bowed. "Thank you."

The parlor faded into darkness as Naruto moved along the house and upstairs. He pushed opened a door and led her inside.

Naruto rested the lamp on the stand and sat on the edge of the bed and Hinata saw the little chair in the corner of the room and sat down obediently. She watched his back moved and could not make out what he was doing. Her saucer-like eyes widened when Naruto pulled down his shirt and threw it on the floor. The sound from the mattress springs bounced off the wall when Naruto got up. He pulled down his trousers and then his undergarment.

It wasn't Hinata's first time seeing him naked, but it always managed to make her feel flustered. The noise from the rain picked up, and there was a howling noise. Naruto laid on his stomach and he turned his head to face Hinata. The light from the lamp crackled. Hinata did everything to avoid eye contact with him, but she could feel the intense gaze coming from him.

"Aren't you hot?" He asked while playing with the thread hanging from the pillow.

Now that he'd mention it, Hinata felt the sweat draining between her chest and legs. "I'll be fine." She said.

The two remained quiet as they listened to the storm roaring outside. Hinata eyes fluttered opened as she felt herself falling asleep. She tried to pay attention from the light in the lamp, but it made it worse. She jumped suddenly once she heard the loudness of thunder.

Naruto held his laughter when she jumped. It reminded him of a cat when frightened.

"It's getting a little hot in here, Hinata. I want to go to sleep, but I can't because of the light." Naruto frowned. "And it's making in here very humid."

"I'm sorry…" Hinata said. "I…

"Come here." He said patting the empty spot beside him. "This is until the power cut back on."

Hinata stared at the spot uncomfortably. Naruto noticing shrugged his shoulder. "Suit yourself, but the lights will be off." He said stretching out his hand to dim the lights.

Hinata quickly scurried to the bed and she pouted unintentionally. The light from the kerosene lamp faded, and the room was engulfed into darkness. She felt her heartbeat increase, and her hands became sweaty.

The darkness was unsettling and not an ounce of light seeped in the room, except for the occasional lightning.

"Um… sir," Hinata said as softly as she could. Her ears wiggled to the sound of a light snore. "Naruto… please, I don't mean to interrupt yourself, but I'm…" She became flustered when the sound of his snore loudened.

She touched his damp skin, trying to wake him up.

"What?" He said slightly irritated.

"Naruto, I'm afraid," Hinata said as tears ran down her cheeks. "Can you please cut on the light?" Naruto picked up on the fear in her voice and knew she was crying.

"I will not. It's going to be hotter than what it is Hinata." Naruto said adjusting himself on the bed. "You need to get rid of this fear." Hinata sniffled by his words. Hearing this made him groan loudly. "Stop that." He warned. She tried with all her might to stop, but the tears kept rolling down. "Come here." He commanded. Hinata felt him rubbing her side in comfort. "Lay next to me and you won't be afraid." He told her. "Come on before I change my mind!" He said impatiently.

She lied next to him, resting her head on his chest. He muttered something under his breath about the heat and wet hair. Hinata's heartbeat decrease and she found herself relaxing.

"Thank you." She whispered as her eyes fluttered. "You're very kind, sir."

Naruto stared into the darkness and listened to the rain poured on the roof of the house. "Eh, that explains why the light bill was high." He mumbled.

Her long hair stuck to his skin, and again he sighed because Hinata seemed to be doing just fine. He hadn't heard a word from her.

"Hinata." His voice faded in the darkness. There was no response. "Hinata." He said a little louder. His large hand rubbed her arm in a circular motion, and he groaned when she pressed her head on his bare chest.

It had been a while since he relieved himself, and this situation was unsettling. After concluding Hinata had fallen asleep, he removed himself from her and felt for his undergarment on the floor. After finding it, he maneuvered himself in the darkness until he was out in the hallway.

The lightning provided some light and he made his way into the bathroom.

The door creaked as he closed it behind him.

* * *

Naruto expected there to be a lot more damages to Konoha. He glanced around and saw some debris in the front of his yard, and his mailbox was hanging by a thread. His favorite tree seemed to snap in half, and some of the roof tiles were laying on the floor.

"Hinata has a lot of work to do." He whistled.

"Excuse me, sir?" Hinata said, walking behind him."You expect me to clean all of this?" She questioned; her voice soft.

"Yeah, it's your job." Naruto reminded her.

Hinata glanced around the yard and was mortified to see what happened yesterday. "I… it's so much. How am I?"

Naruto sighed. "I was just joking, Hinata. Of course, you can't do all of this by yourself." He said running his hand through his blonde locks. "I wonder if Sasuke has it worse." He grumbled. "Get me my ax from the shed." He commanded. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Hinata spent most of the day clearing up the yard, while Naruto focused on cutting down the trees, and tiling the roof. She entered the garden and was surprised to find everything how she left it, minus the little weeds or dirt on the statues.

"Naruto needs to hire a gardener." She said looking at the poor withered flowers.

"Hinata!" Naruto called. Hinata rushed to the front of the house and saw Naruto looking down at her from the rooftop. "Bring me some water to drink in the attic."

Hinata nodded her head and did what was told.

She climbed up the stairs to the attic. Her eyes looked around the cluttered room that had an oval mirror, a vanity table set that was covered in cobwebs, some chest and her eyes widened at a large white cloth hiding something.

She heard Naruto mumbling about it being hot. She chewed the bottom of her lips as she wondered what lied behind the cloth.

"Hinata, you there?" He asked.

"Um, yes. Here is your water, sir." Hinata said walking towards the window. She moved to the side when Naruto swooped in. "Is it safe to be up there without protection?" Naruto grabbed the water from her and drank it in one gulp.

"Still no power?" He sighed. "Hopefully they'll get it situated by tomorrow."

"Another day without lights?" Hinata said wearily.

"It looks that way."

Hinata cursed herself mentally because it meant another night without any lights, and although outside did provide the stars and moon, Konoha was still eerie without a companion there with you and she didn't know how much of her luck she had used up because Naruto had been generous to allow her to sleep next to him that night. She couldn't possibly ask him again.

"What's on your mind?" He handed her the glass cup.

She shook her head. "Oh, n-nothing sir."

Naruto eyed her suspiciously. "If you say so." He climbed out of the window to finish fix the damages on the rooftop. Hinata's eyes went back to whatever it was underneath the cloth. Curiosity filled her mind, but she shook her head as she headed back downstairs to go outside.

The two youngsters were outside on the patio watching the sunset. News had gone by that there were no casualties and not many people suffered much damages.

"Hinata, you mentioned another person Neji? Did he make it?"

"I don't know where he's at and I don't know if he's alive," Hinata replied. "The war scattered us, and I was only able to find Hanabi, and I'm not sure where my brother went."

"I understand, but there may be a possibility that he's alive?"

Hinata never thought about it but she nodded her head. "Yeah, he might be." She couldn't understand it, but just hearing he may still be alive swelled her heart. "He could be cold sometimes; he even acts like you but deep down he's loveable." Her lips tugged into a slight smile.

"Oh really? How do I act?" Naruto questioned as he gazed at the sailing clouds.

"Um… well, you're nice too…" Her voice trailed off. "Um, would you like something to eat before it gets completely dark?"

"Yes, please."

Hinata got up and headed to the door. She glanced over her shoulders and watched as the young man still stared in the distance. She knew there was much more she didn't know about the master and she still couldn't forget the blood she'd seen on him that day.

* * *

Naruto watched the outline of Hinata who was lying on her side. He had invited Hinata to his bedroom again because he knew the girl was thinking about it.

He sighed mentally. He thought about the time she had slept outside and wondered why the girl didn't panic as she did a day ago. Maybe she did? Maybe the love she had for her sister made her over come the fear, briefly.

The poor girl groaned in her sleep and Naruto felt his mattress vibrate. His eyes darted to Hinata who was shivering. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She stopped shivering and her body relaxed.

"You're such a big baby." He yawned.

A light smile formed on her face as dreamt good things that nice.

* * *

Hinata was strolling the roadside as she had just left the market to purchase some potatoes and carrots. Her mind wandered to Naruto and Sasuke who were talking with one another in the parlor. As soon as entered the parlor their eyes immediately fixated on her and she felt like she had ruined something.

He told her he would be back by supper time and to have dinner ready.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, but she quickly shook her head. "He has it ups and downs, but he's kind." She couldn't help but smile. He was better than Saya.

She shivered slightly. The master was right. It was getting colder and winter would soon be approaching. She needed to send some money to Hinata so she could buy some warmer clothes.

As Hinata turned the corner, her eyes widened as she saw a young boy lying face down on the road near the entrance of the Namikaze household. She dropped the sack of potatoes and carrots on the floor and quickly ran to the unknown person.

"Sir- Sir…" She shook the boy trying to wake him up but he did not move. Hinata's heart skipped a beat when she flipped the boy over and saw it was the young boy from several days ago.

Hinata placed her ear on his chest and heard a faint heartbeat. His breathing was shallow and he was sweating up a storm.

She looked around frantically, but the road was abandoned. The boy was light and boney which made it a little easier to take him inside the household. She ran to the parlor and grabbed the little red cushion from it and placed it under the boy's head.

"I'll be right back." She told the unresponsive boy.

She rushed out of the household and down the street. She remembered there was a clinic not too far from Saya.

She bent over and took a deep breath. She barged into the office and the bell chimed. A woman with short black hair stared at the young girl suspiciously.

A blonde hair woman soon joined her and stared at the girl. "Can i—

"He needs your help! He isn't breathing!" Hinata frantically said.

Tsunade, the doctor, remembered this was the girl she had treated a month ago at the Namikaze manor. Then her eyes widened. "He? Is Naruto okay?"

Hinata held her chest. "He's okay, but it's a young boy! He's barely breathing."

"Shizune grab my stuff. Let's go!" Tsunade climbed up in her buggy and invited Hinata along. Shizune rushed out of the office and also joined the duo.

They entered the household and saw the young boy lying there. "Shizune, take him to the infirmary room."

Hinata was surprised the woman knew where to go, but she shook her head. Now was not the time.

The rested the brown hair boy on the top of the bed and Tsunade turned to Hinata. "Do you know him?"

"He's been here once."

Tsunade nodded as she went to work.

Time went by and it was already supper time.

Naruto eyed the familiar buggy. "Why is Tsunade here?"

He quickly rushed into the house and screamed for Hinata. "Hinata! Hinata!" He ran to the infirmary room they had in the household. He was relieved when he saw the girl rushing out of the room. "Are you okay? Why is Tsunade here?" He questioned her. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Hinata shook her head. Before she could speak, Tsunade stepped out of the room along with Shizune. "What's going on? Naruto asked.

"I found a young boy on the dirty ground in front of your house, sir. He wasn't doing too well so I got a doctor to help." She turned to face Tsunade. "How is he doing, doctor?"

Naruto looked into the room and saw a young boy lying there on the bed. He hadn't budged and his chest rose up and down slightly.

Tsunade heaved a sigh. "It seems he doesn't have much time to live if he doesn't get the proper treatment he needs." Hinata was taken back because the boy looked fine several days ago.

"What can we do to help him? Is there anything? He's so young." Her voice cracked. "Sir," She faced Naruto. Her eyes pleaded with him and he couldn't help but run his hand through his hair.

"Hinata," He groaned. "Instead of walking around you should have been doing your duties like making supper." He scolded her. "And why would you bring this unknown child in my house."

Tsunade eyed Shizune and Shizune eyed her back.

Hinata's face reddened and she turned her back on Naruto who was surprised.

"Hinata," He warned. She did not respond which made Naruto angry. "I am your master and you are to answer me!"

"Doctor Tsunade," Hinata balled her fist, "please treat the boy and I will give you everything I have." Her eyes began to water. "Please save him."

"Hin-!

"Naruto," Tsunade frowned. "We will leave you some medicine, Hinata. Take care of the boy and make sure he eats, and drink a lot of water." She gave Hinata a bottle of medicine. "This medicine should be taken every four hours until the bottle is gone. If he still doesn't feel better report back to me." Tsunade brushed past Naruto, and Shizune quickly followed after.

"Thank you," Hinata whispered.

Naruto waited for his front door to close before he said anything further."Hinata," Naruto called out. "Who are you to disrespect me? When I tell you- His voice caught in his throat as he tried to avoid her piercing gaze. He couldn't explain it, but he didn't want to upset the young woman anymore.

"I am disappointed in you."

Naruto stared at her and his eyes widened. For a minute he saw someone he was trying to forget standing behind Hinata staring at him in disappointment. Her violent blue eyes turned into anger. Her mouth moved in sync with Hinata. "How could you say such a thing? I'm sure **(I)** you **(raise)** were raise ( **you)** better than this."

Naruto lowered his head in shame. "Yes, mam' am."

Hinata tilted her head to the side but shook her head. She bowed. "You can punish me any way you feel fit, b- but please let me take care of this child, master."

He brushed his hair back. "What are you going to do when he gets better? Where will he stay?"

"He says he does gardening. But he's so young and he should be in school." Hinata replied sadly. "I wonder where his parents are."

Naruto turned his back on her. "Please make me something to eat when you're done."

Hinata stared at her master's back and did something out of the ordinary; she hugged him from behind which made Naruto reddened.

"I didn't say you were off the hook!" He was flustered. "Go now and tend to him before I kick you and him out!" He grumbled as he marched away.

Hinata entered the room and hovered over the boy. She grabbed the damp cloth and wiped it across his forehead.

"What is your name?" Hinata asked.

The boy didn't reply. After an hour of wiping off the boy, she turned to walk out the door to prepare something to eat for Naruto.

"K…

Hinata glanced over her shoulder as she was sure she heard another voice in the room. She shrugged her shoulder when she didn't hear anything else.

"K… Ko… Konohamaru."

Thank you for the reviews.

AN: I won't say this story has Sasuke and Sakura. I usually try to focus on Naruto and Hinata's love.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **1 Days Later:**

It was early morning when Hinata decided to make Konohamaru some broth to drink. She didn't get a chance to talk with the boy last night as he had fallen asleep. She soon discovered the boy was a charmer, and with enough food to fill in his sunken cheeks, he would be a good-looking man.

Hinata rested the spoon on the silver tray and placed her hands on the top of her lap. The boy, Konohamaru, was still weak and could barely move. She opted to feed him until he regained his strength when she saw the boy trying his hardest to pick up the spoon.

"Konohamaru," He coughed harshly, and she winced, "where are your parents?"

"Dead." He whispered slightly. "War… dead… family." He croaked. He chewed the bottom of his lips, and the tears poured down his sunken face. He didn't want to cry. He was a man, but he couldn't help it. Nobody had been this kind to him after the incident- even if it was for a little while.

His heart fluttered as Hinata embraced him. "It's okay to cry." She stroked his greasy chestnut hair. "I lost my family in the war too." She replied in a soft tone. She leaned back on the chair and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You're not alone."

"I don't want to die." He responded after a while of silence. The tears formed again, and he cried. Hinata sat there and waited for the young boy to settle down. A slight roar left his stomach, and Hinata giggled.

"Are you still hungry?"

He nodded slowly, and Hinata placed a spoon of lukewarm broth into his mouth.

Their heads quickly turned when they heard somebody clearing their throat.

"N-Naruto." She got up and bowed. Konohamaru's eyes widened as the young maid just address the master by his first name. He stuck his nose in the air, and there was a slight pout noticeable on his face. Hinata approached him. "How can I help you, sir?"

"Hungry." He simply said as he still did not bother to look at her.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Ah, it's breakfast time." She bowed repeatedly. "Please bear with me while I prepare you something." She glanced over her shoulder. "Konohamaru, I'll be right back. Naruto," She called out. "Can you feed Konohamaru while I'm out?" Before he could say another word, she quickly left the two.

Naruto sighed under his breath. "When did she start demanding things?" He muttered. He found himself walking to the boy. This was his second time seeing him since yesterday, and he looked better than he did before.

He hovered over the bed, and the boy glanced at him. He smiled meekly. "T-thank you, sir. You're very kind."

The room was quiet, and Konohamaru shifted uncomfortably. Naruto just sat there and crossed his arms and glared at the boy. If looks could kill, there would be no more of the human race.

Konohamaru tried to avoid the menacing stare, and he began to break out into a sweat. "How old are you?" Naruto asked.

"Old enough to be considered a man." He laughed nervously. Naruto tapped his fingers against his skin impatiently, and he eyed Konohamaru down. "I'm fifteen, sir." He gave in.

"Where are your parents?" He inquired.

There was a moment of silence before Konohamaru spoke. "D-dead."

"Brothers? Sisters?"

Konohamaru shook his head slowly. The young lad could hear the aggression in his tone, and he couldn't understand why.

"I don't trust you."

"S-s-sir. What do you mean?" Konohamaru's eyes widened.

"Give me your name." He snarled.

"My name is Sarutobi Konohamaru."

"Sarutobi?" Naruto questioned. "You're related to the third Hokage?"

"Yes, sir."

Naruto snickered as his whole facial expression lightened up. "Are you the young boy who used to run up and down the marketplace saying he'll be the Hokage one day?"

Konohamaru face turned red for a second, and then he shook his head. "I still dream of becoming the Hokage. I want to make a difference to Konoha." He felt himself getting riled up. "There are so many of us dying, starving, and the Konoha Council doesn't care." Konohamaru gripped the blankets as he felt his blood rushing through his veins. "Nobody cares."

Naruto hummed. "And you can make a difference?"

"Yes." His voice went low. "My grandfather was the Hokage, and during his reign, it was a time of peace before he came along." Konohamaru spat. "I don't believe my grandfather died because of tuberculosis. He was killed." He said grimly.

"What a bold statement to assume," Naruto replied. "Did you let anyone else know?"

"Yes, but they call me crazy!" He gritted his teeth.

"Wow," He snorted, "you really want a death sentence, huh?"

Konohamaru gazed at Naruto with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't speak about the war and the former Hokage. Those are stuff that no longer concerns us." Naruto said, getting up.

Konohamaru gritted his teeth. "How could you say such a thing! My grandfather is someone I can't forget. If he were still alive, there would be no war, and kids wouldn't be out there starving!" The tears began to form.

"If you continue to speak about such nonsense in my house again, I will kick you out myself," Naruto replied coldly.

"Naruto, sir, your breakfast is prepared," Hinata said as she bowed. Konohamaru quickly lowered his head. "I'll be back, Konohamaru." She told him, unaware of the sudden mood change.

Naruto walked behind her as she led him to the dining room. He sat at the end and stared at the food on the table that consisted of a small bowl of rice, miso soup, and two small pieces of fish and some natto. Hinata poured some green tea into a teacup and placed it in front of him.

Naruto picked up the wooden chopsticks between his fingers. "Hinata," She glanced at him as he continued to stare at his food, "I'll be home for the time being, but make sure that boy doesn't talk about war or the former Hokage anymore while he's here."

Hinata tilted her head to the side. War she understood, but why not the former Hokage? He had done a lot for the civilians of Konoha and other countries. "Yes, sir."

"You've been taken care of that boy. Did you even eat yet?" He inquired.

"No, sir. I just want to make sure he's getting better." Hinata replied.

"Don't get attached to him, Hinata. It won't do you good when he has to leave." Naruto ate some of the rice. "Eat something before tending to him again." He commanded.

Hinata bit her lower lip and hanged her head. "Yes, sir." She mumbled.

"You're dismissed." He fanned her away.

Hinata turned her back on him and went into the kitchen.

Once the room was cleared, Naruto hummed. "I guess Itachi was right."

 **3 Days Later**

Konohamaru was doing well enough to walk on his own. He stumbled every so often, but he was doing way better, although his cough was still there.

"You're doing well kiddo, but we need to get rid of that cough," Tsunade said as she pulled out a bottle of liquid medicine. "This will kill that cough in a day or two." She poured the syrup-like liquid onto a spoon.

Konohamaru stared in horror at the black gooey substance, and before he could escape the room, Hinata yanked him down on the bed.

"Now, Konohamaru," She wiggled his finger in front of his face, "This will make you feel better and get rid of that stubborn cough. Do you want to get pneumonia?"

Konohamaru quickly shook his head and opened his mouth widely. He gaged on the horrible tasting medicine and promptly drank a cup of water.

Tsunade ruffled his head, and she smiled. "Let him take this every morning and every night until it's gone.

"Thank you, Dr. Tsunade," Hinata replied.

"It's my job, Hinata. There's no need to thank me." She said, getting up. "How is Naruto doing?"

"He's doing fine," Hinata said.

"Is he treating you okay? Please let me know if he's not, and I'll straighten him out for you." Tsunade said, holding up her fist.

Hinata raised her hands up. "He treats me better than my other masters, Dr. Tsunade." She poked her fingers together. "He has his moments, but he's really kind." Her voice softened.

Konohamaru looked at Hinata and crossed his arms. _'Don't tell me she likes that creep.'_

"He should treat you kind- always," Tsunade said. "You're a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul." She sighed. "I know he can come off as cold, but please don't leave him." She gazed into Hinata's lavender eyes. "He truly cares about you."

' _He cares about me?'_

' _He cares about her?'_

Tsunade shook her head as she remembered him always coming to visit her about Hinata's well-being. She wondered if the youngster realized how deeply he cared about the girl.

" _Baa-chan," Naruto barged into her office._

" _What is it?" She sighed as she realized the boy would never respect her. No matter how many times she'd beat him, he never gave up. It was rare he would call her by her first name, and it had to be a dire situation for him to do so. But hell! She was the first female doctor of Konoha and saved so many lives._

" _It's Hinata. She's been spacing out lately. Do you have any medicine I can give her?"_

 _"She's a delicate and fragile creature, brat. And she's probably scared out of her wit's end. Being a maid is backbreaking work." She said as she documented in her notepad._

 _"What's hard about being one? You just clean, and the rest of the day belongs to you." He shrugged his shoulders._

" _Not everyone has a kind master, Naruto." She glanced at him. "Maybe she never got to experience that? She's still young. You should be more kind to her." She scolded him._

 _"I am. Hinata's living in my house, she gets paid, and she gets to eat. What more could I do for her?" He let out a dry sigh. "Maybe I should let you re-evaluate her? Just to make sure she's doing okay. She looks better now that she's eating properly, but- He stopped talking and ran his hand through his blonde hair, "I've been getting these weird headaches." He said, changing the topic._

Tsunade got up and headed to the door. "Oh, I heard you used to work for Saya?" Hinata nodded. "Does she come here often?"

"Only once, but Naruto told me not to let her in anymore," Hinata replied.

"He has his reasons, I suppose," Tsunade said aloud.

"Excuse me?"

"It's nothing. Take care, Hinata."

"Let me walk you to the door."

Tsunade shook her head. "I can see myself out. Get well, Konohamaru."

 **1 Week Later**

It was midday, and Hinata was outside in the garden, along with Konohamaru.

"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to be out here?" She asked.

"I'm feeling better than I did!" He smiled brightly. He coughed a little.

He helped her by plucking some of the "weeds," and Hinata stared at him. "Konohamaru, no. Those aren't weeds." He looked down and saw it was some flowers. "I thought you knew about gardening."

Konohamaru rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I don't." He said sadly. "I just needed ways to make some money."

"I understand. Do you attend school?"

Konohamaru shook his head. "It's been such a long time."

"School is so important," Hinata said. She remembered before the war; she would attend school with her elder brother that was closer to the house. It was a prestige place that high-ranking Hyugas visited. She knew how to read and write, and do basic math, and even learned an instrument or two, but anything other than that, she had no idea as she had been doing this job since she was small.

"Hinata, why do you call your master by his first name? He's a little cold, but that's disrespectful coming from someone in your position." Konohamaru said. "I don't want you to get hurt, so please stop calling him by his name."

Hinata tilted her head to the side, and a soft giggle escaped her lips. "Ah, Naruto doesn't mind. He's the one that told me to do so. He doesn't like being called that."

Konohamaru twisted his face. "Really?" He crossed his arms. "He seems cold-hearted," he paused, "but I'm grateful he hasn't kicked me out during my time of recovery." He wiped his nose and grinned at Hinata. "Thanks for your help."

"It's my pleasure," Hinata responded.

Konohamaru gazed at the setting sun and didn't realize they were out there for so long.

"I should start preparing supper. Would you like to join me?"

Konohamaru followed behind Hinata, who entered the kitchen from the backway. He watched as her hair swayed back and forth with each movement she made.

He sat on the wooden stool and watched Hinata as she prepared supper. He was sad because he knew his time here would be short, and he needed to get going. He was getting better and didn't want to take their kindness for granted.

"Here," Hinata said, giving him a slice of cake.

His mouth watered as he hadn't had any sweets in so long. "B- but won't you get in trouble without asking for his permission?"

Hinata turned her back on him as she chopped up some carrots. "No, he told me to eat until my heart is content."

It was like a rollercoaster of emotions swept his mouth with each bite, and he sighed dreamily. It reminded him of his mother and her cooking. "Hinata, do you like him?" He suddenly asked.

She stopped chopping the carrots momentarily. "Naruto's my master and nothing more." She said as she continued to cut the carrots.

There was a deafening silence.

' _I don't have time to think of love.'_ She thought. _'There are so many things I need to do. Hanabi's school fee is due next week. She's going to need some more clothes, and… there's no time for that.'_

Maybe when Hanabi was done with school and married off to a nice man, then she would consider quitting this job, but for now, Hanabi was her number priority.

Konohamaru was in the kitchen waiting for Hinata to return to take out his food. He hovered over the pot, and his mouth watered. He gazed at the brown door and tiptoed towards it. He heard the two talking in the background, and he pressed his ear against the door and listened carefully.

"Hinata, how is Konohamaru doing?" Naruto asked.

"He's doing fine. He's been coughing every so often, but the medicine Dr. Tsunade provided will get rid of it."

Naruto nodded. "I hope you haven't been getting too attached to that boy."

Hinata looked down. "B- but sir, do we have to let him go?" She asked. "He can do some cleaning or take care of the garden, but it's so cold out there for an orphan."

Naruto scoffed. "Are you going to take in everyone that's ill?" There was no answer. "Hinata, look at me when I'm talking to you." She slowly rose her head and stared at him. "I told you not to get attached, but you still did it anyway."

"He's young, and he reminds me so much of my sister." She mumbled. "It'll be too cruel to let him fend for himself."

"If you care so much, why don't you use your wages to pay for his boarding school expense." Naruto sipped on some red wine.

More than half of her wages were going towards Hanabi school, and the little she did have was to save up for Hanabi so she would have something to live off.

"I would if I had the money, sir," Hinata replied. "Do you need me for anything else?" She spat coldly. Hinata wasn't expecting that, and she kind of surprised herself by her tone of voice. Naruto was also taken back when he heard that.

He raised his eyebrow and a frown set in. "Should I punish you for taking that tone with me?"

Hinata bowed. "Do as you feel fit, sir, but I do apologize for my tone."

Naruto had never once punished Hinata since she became his servant. He may have raised his voice and yell at her, but she had never once received any physical punishment.

He intertwined his fingers together and stared at the food before him. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and Hinata became worried. "If you were still living with my Aunt, would you do the same thing?" He asked. Hinata lowered her head as she thought about it. He slammed his hand on the table, which startled Hinata. "You've ruined my appetite." He said in a low voice. "I told you not to get attached to that boy, and you went ahead and did it anyway!" He threw his arm slightly. "I already took you in much to my dislike. Would you prefer I take him in and kick you out since you're so concerned?" He raised his eyebrow slightly as he watched Hinata trembled in fear. He threw the handkerchief on the table and walked away.

Hinata felt her eyes watered when he slammed the door.

Konohamaru wiped his eyes, and he quickly scattered to the stool. Hinata came back with a tray of untouched food and smiled. It was apparent that the girl had been crying. "He wasn't hungry, so let's eat."

* * *

It had been three days since the incident took place, and Naruto had yet to speak to her. Every time she'd call him for supper, he didn't acknowledge her. Hell! He wouldn't eat the food she'd prepared.

He would brush past her when she tried to approach him and would give her a chilling stare.

She hanged her head in shame as she sat on the stool in the kitchen. She was counting her days because she knew she would soon be fired.

Konohamaru sympathized with the girl, and he felt horrible. It was his fault this was even happening. If he had never shown up, Hinata wouldn't haven't been in this predicament.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." Konohamaru said, "If it weren't for me, you would be in this situation." A sad frown appeared on his way. "But what he is doing is not fair."

Hinata looked up and smiled weakly. "It's not your fault, Konohamaru. I'm afraid my mouth has gotten me in trouble." She got up. "Would you like to help me prepare supper?"

* * *

Naruto sat on the edge of the bed with his hands intertwined. He knew he could be stubborn, his mother always told him that, but he refused to acknowledge Hinata. How dare she make a mockery out of him? Or disobey his orders?

Why did she care about the boy so much? Was he worth her job? He crossed his arms as he allowed his mind to wander.

"She's only known him for two weeks. She's known me for almost three months." He said to himself. He frowned deeply at the thought of it.

His stomach growled at him for neglecting him for the past few days. He went out to eat, but it seems his taste buds became spoiled ever since Hinata started cooking for him. And his favorite ramen shop, Ichiraku Ramen Shop, was closed.

He laid down on the soft mattress and gazed at his ceiling. A slight smirk crossed his face. "I'll find work for the boy and forgive, only if she bows down to my feet." He laughed bitterly.

* * *

Hinata stood in front of Naruto's bedroom. She had to apologize to him for her behavior. She knew he was still upset because he hadn't left his room for breakfast or came down for the daily newspaper. This was his house, and she had no right to upset him like that. It was selfish of her.

She let out a long drawn out sigh and knocked on his door. After a while, the door creaked opened until she was in complete view of Naruto.

"Sir," She bowed.

He yawned. "Is it important?"

"Um, well- I wanted to apologize for my behavior." She glanced up at him, "You were right, and I failed to realize this is your house, and you are my master. I don't know what overcame me, but it just troubled me with Konohamaru." She frowned slightly. She went on her knees and bowed down by his feet. "Please forgive me."

"Hinata, get up." He sighed as he looked down at the pitiful girl. In his mind, he was dancing up a storm, but he knew he had to fulfill his promise. She rose slowly and lowered her head. "I must admit I've been shocked by your behavior ever since that boy came here." He shook his head. "To keep you happy, we'll look for work for him."

Hinata's eyes sparkled, and she clasped her hands together. "Thank you, sir!" She kept bowing. "I'll let him know right away!" As she was about to turn around, Naruto called out. "Hinata," She turned around, and Naruto rubbed his cheek, "can you make me some miso pork ramen?"

Hinata smiled brightly. "Yes, sir."

He listened to her footsteps as she ran down the stairs. "Konohamaru" He heard her shout until her voice faded. "I didn't know her voice could go any higher." He chuckled to himself. "She's full of surprises, huh?"

Hinata opened the door to the infirmary, and she couldn't stop herself from grinning. "Konohamaru," Her voice softened as she saw the empty bed and a lone piece of paper resting on the pillow. Her hand trembled as she browsed through the notes.

 _Dear Hinata n Naruto,_

 _Thank you for your help. I'm sorry to leave in such a hurry. But I'm more than grateful for your kindness._

 _Take care._

 _~Konohamaru_

Hinata's heart sank as she ran upstairs with the letter in her hand. "Sir! Naruto!" She shouted.

Naruto rushed out of his room when he heard the girl shouting for him. "Are you okay?"

"Konohamaru is gone! He left." She said, handing him the letter. "He's not done with his medicine, and he's still coughing, sir."

Naruto read over the letters and sighed. "I'll go look for him," Naruto said, heading back into his room to grab his blazer. "Stay here just in case he comes back."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, sir. Please stay safe."

She said a silent prayer, hoping the boy would be found. S

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Konohamaru disappeared. Naruto went looking for him, but there were no traces of him. Hinata was deeply troubled, and she couldn't stop herself from thinking about him.

"Sir, do you think he's okay?" Hinata asked as she cleaned the parlor he sat in.

"Do you mean alive? I don't know." Naruto said. "Try not to concern your mind with that boy, Hinata." He frowned. "He left on his own, so now it's time you let him go."

"Yes, sir." She mumbled.

She had a feeling something like this would happen.

 _Flashback_

 _As the days went on and with Hinata's kindness, Konohamaru was feeling a lot better, but Hinata noticed the puzzled look on his face._

" _What's the matter, Konohamaru?" Hinata asked as she placed his food on the table. "Are you okay?"_

 _He shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just grateful is all."_

 _Hinata ruffled his head and smiled brightly. "You remind me just of my little sister. Get better, okay?"_

" _I will. Thanks to you and Mr. Scrooge."_

"Maybe he had overheard the conversation we had?" She said to herself.

"Hinata, it's time for my bath," Naruto said as he got up from the red cushioned chair.

The sun was setting, and Hinata was consumed with the thoughts of Konohamaru. She poured a wooden bucket of water over his head, and she exhaled.

"Hinata," Naruto hummed, "your nails are hurting me."

She quickly looked down and saw she was massaging his chest with her nails instead of his scalp. His chest turned red, and she was more than embarrassed. "Sir, I am sorry. Please forgive me."

"Wouldn't it be best to forget about him?" Naruto frowned.

Hinata shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"It was rude for him to leave in a hurry after everything you've done for him."

"I know, but I suppose he had his reasons, sir," Hinata replied as she wiped the nape of his neck with a washcloth. The gentle touch of her fingers grazed against his bare skin, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hinata," Naruto said.

"Yes, sir?"

"Sakura is hosting a tea party tomorrow for the ladies, and she has personally invited you." He informed her.

"It'll be an honor to serve her," Hinata replied.

"You're not going as a maid, but as a lady. You are to have fun." Naruto told her. "I wasn't going to let you go after your outburst in the dining room, but it's the least I can do for you since you've been loyal to me so far."

Her eyes widened. This was her first invite to a party that her heart skipped a beat. "Err- sir, it's okay. I shouldn't be at such events as those." She said softly, the more she thought about it.

"Why not?" He said. "You can have the day off and enjoy yourself. Sakura is a nice lady."

"She's very kind and beautiful, sir. But I can't afford to take the day off."

"Do not worry about your pay. You're going."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, sir."

The two were silent as Hinata continued to wipe him down. Her face flushed once she noticed Naruto was gazing at her. "S-sir, are you okay?"

After a minute of silence, he came to his senses. He cleared his throat. "Come to my room so I can give you an invitation." He said as he rose from the bathtub. Hinata grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist.

* * *

All night she stared at the white and golden invitation, and her heart melted. She had always served Saya and her tea parties and wondered what it will be like if she attended. At night, she would daydream and couldn't help but giggle to herself.

She was nervous, but the sheer excitement of being invited to something made her heart leaped for joy.

"Sakura is so kind and beautiful." She smiled. Even a young gloomy girl could feel excitement once giving an opportunity.

The following day, Naruto had accompanied Hinata to Sakura's house, which was a little distance. He walked behind her and couldn't help but stare at her figure. The way her hips swayed back and forth with each step she took, put him in a trance. The plain lavender kimono wrapped around her body and provided an excellent figure for any man's eyes to wonder.

"Sir, thank you for accompanying me," Hinata turned around. Naruto eyes wondered to her big saucer-like eyes as he pondered how long he had been staring at the girl. "It was very kind of you."

"I know how much you space out, so I didn't want you to get lost," Naruto said, walking past her. Hinata silently followed behind him. "Remember, you're just here to enjoy yourself." Naruto reminded her as he stopped a few inches from Sakura's house.

She stared down at the ground and poked her index fingers together. "Go on." Naruto ushered her.

Hinata swallowed what she wanted to say and headed towards the entrance. She glanced over her shoulders a few times to make sure he was still there, and he was- waiting for her to leave his view. She smiled weakly at him before disappearing around the corner.

An older maid greeted Hinata with a smile as she took the invitation from her. "Please join Lady Haruno and her guest in the back." The woman said as she guided her to the garden.

"Thank you," Hinata said, bowing slightly.

The woman couldn't help but smile at the respectful girl as this was the first girl to bow and show some manners since stepping foot here. "Please, enjoy."

Hinata looked around and saw several young girls, dressed so elegantly, surrounding the pink haired lady.

"Hinata," Sakura greeted as she approached the girl. "Oh my, what a cute kimono," She squealed.

"Thank you," Hinata bowed. "And thank you for inviting me." She poked her index fingers together, "This is the first time I've been invited to a tea party."

"It's my pleasure," Sakura bowed, "Let me introduce you to the other girls," Sakura said, bringing Hinata amongst the gossipers. She avoided eye contact with them. She felt them boring holes into her body. "Hinata, this is Lady Yumi," Sakura said, pointing to the brown hair girl, "and her cousin, Meiko."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," She bowed.

"Likewise," One girl responded.

"This is Lady Sara and her little sister, Mimi,"

Hinata bowed as the young girls, poked their nose into the air and turned away.

Sakura gripped Hinata's hand. "Don't worry, they are like that to everyone," She pulled Hinata towards her best friend, Ino, who was talking with a shorter girl.

"Ino, Hinata's here," Sakura said with excitement in her voice. "Isn't her kimono lovely."

"Ah," Ino said, lifting the sleeves of the kimono, "Is this Madam Yuuhi's work?"

Hinata nodded. "Naruto got it from me."

"Naruto?" Both Sakura and Ino said, raising their eyebrows in shock.

"Uh," Hinata blushed, "Please don't be upset with me, but he told me to call him by his first name. He doesn't like it when I call him my master." She mumbled.

"That sounds like him," Sakura muttered.

Ino nodded in agreement. "Try to refrain from saying his name in public as others may not take it well." Ino placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder. "News travels fast."

Hinata felt her heart swelled because the two girls were concerned about her well-being. She nodded quickly, "Thank you, and thank you again for inviting me, Lady Haruno."

"You're more than welcome, but call me Sakura." The jaded eye girl cracked a smile.

"And Ino is just fine, Hinata." She added on.

"Oh, Sakura." An older woman said as she approached the two. Her eyes darted to the unknown girl wearing a simple yet elegant kimono. "Who is this?"

Hinata lowered her head. "This is Hinata. I invited her to the tea party."

Mebuki, Sakura's mother, eyes widened. She quickly glared at Sakura, but she kept her mouth shut as she did not want to make a scene. She had heard the rumors about Hinata. It was sad that a high-ranking clan was nothing more than rags now. She stuck out her chest and clapped her hands together. "Okay, girls. Sit down, and tea will be served."

"Hinata, please sit next to me," Ino said, leading Hinata to a square table under the un-blossomed cherry tree.

The young ladies sat at the table and waited until there tea was served.

"Ne, did you hear Momo is engaged to her cousin." One girl said.

Another clicked her tongue. "How will her mother react once she finds out she isn't a virgin anymore?"

Some of the girls giggled. "Ne, ne Sakura," One girl tried to get the pink hair girl's attention. "What's up with you and Sasuke? I heard you two went out alone one day."

The group of girls giggled, and Hinata couldn't help but smile.

"It's nothing!" Sakura tried to conceal her blush, "It wasn't only Sasuke, but Naruto too."

"Ohhh," The girls giggled.

Hinata sipped on some tea when she felt some girls staring at her, whispering amongst one another.

"Pinkies up," Somebody laughed.

As the day went on, Hinata couldn't help but feel excited, although she noticed how some of the girls stared at her. As long as she had Sakura and Ino by her side, she felt normal.

"And that's how I got Shikamaru at the party," Ino grinned.

"Ino you're quite d-daring," Hinata said. "He could smite you." She added.

"Shikamaru won't do such a thing," Ino fanned her, "he just irks my soul at times." She sighed.

Hinata glanced at Sakura, who was quiet. "Are you okay, Sakura?" Obviously, the young girl was annoyed as she was no longer smiling.

"I heard she's having sex with the last heir to the Namikaze fortune." One girl whispered rather loudly.

Hinata's shoulders fell once hearing that.

"How shameful!" The other girl fanned herself. "He needs a wife, not a whore." The girl said, glaring at Hinata. "But, I suppose men will be men." The two girls giggled loudly.

"I'm going to say something to them," Ino muttered.

"Ne, it's okay, Ino. I'm used to it." She whispered.

"But, you're so sweet and kind, Hinata." Sakura frowned. "They shouldn't be talking about you. They don't know you."

"I've heard worse," Hinata mumbled. "I'll be fine." She cracked a smile.

"Sakura," Her mother called as she approached the young trio. She quickly glared at Hinata and then wrapped her arm around Sakura's shoulder. "I want to introduce you to Antionette. She's the only daughter of a famous French poet." She said, leading Sakura to the young petite girl.

Both Ino and Hinata turned to gaze at the French girl. Hinata's eyes slightly widened as the girl looked like a pretty porcelain doll. She had pale smooth skin, and small pouted red lips. Her eyes were big and brown, and her hair was a beautiful auburn color that curled all the way to her back. She wore a light blue Victorian lace dress and white ballet flats.

"She's so beautiful." Hinata cooed.

Ino scoffed. "Don't let her looks fool you, Hinata. That girl is nothing but trouble."

Hinata watched as the young girl bowed to Sakura and began to speak fluently in Japanese to her. "Wow, she's amazing."

"Hinata, I have to use the lady's room. I'll be right back." Ino said as she made her way inside the house.

"I guess Ino and Sakura are friendly with one another," Hinata mumbled.

She felt small compared to the other girls. They looked sophisticated, and they sounded much smarter than her, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

"Hey, maid!" A girl snarled at Hinata. Hinata turned around and was faced by two young ladies. One wore a yellow dress, and the other wore a green dress. "See, I told you she would know her name." The girl, wearing the yellow dress, remarked.

"Is it true you're fucking him?" She frowned. "That's not ladylike." The girl wearing the green dress stared at Hinata's clothing, and her eyes widened. "How did you get Madam Yuuhi to make you such an expensive dress?" She circled the girl. "Your wage couldn't afford something like this, unless." She eyed her friend. "You are fucking him." She stepped back in front of Hinata. "Speak!"

Hinata looked down and chewed the bottom of her lip. "I am not. I'm nothing more than a maid."

"Then how did you get her to make you a dress? You're nothing to look at."

"I-

"You're such a shameless girl. How dare you show up here?"

"I was invited to come here," Hinata said back. "Please, just leave me alone." She begged.

"How dare you speak without permission!"

Hinata stumbled backward when she was slapped against her cheek. Sakura quickly left Antionette and helped Hinata up. She glared at the two girls, who looked down at Hinata in disgust.

"What are you two doing?" Sakura growled. "Hinata, are you okay?"

Hinata nodded slowly as she continued to look down. "I'm okay." She whispered.

Ino rushed back once she saw Sakura helping Hinata up. "What happened?"

"She spoke without permission," One of the girls replied.

The other puffed out her cheeks. "I'm disappointed that the Haruno's would let a maid join us."

"I invited her here myself," Sakura said, "and you shouldn't go around slapping people. She is my guest." Sakura balled her fist.

"And so are we. We felt very uncomfortable sharing a table with her." The girl responded. "Look at her. She fucks her master. Apparently, she can't keep her hands to herself."

Mebuki came along once hearing the commotion. "Young ladies should be seen and not heard." She said. "What is going on?"

"She slapped Hinata, mother."

"Because she spoke without permission." The girl replied. "My mother would be so upset if she found out a maid was invited to such a delightful event."

Before Mebuki could speak, Hinata dropped to her knees. "I do apologize for my rudeness. Please don't take it out the Haruno's. It was disrespectful of me to take the invitation and come here." Hinata said, gazing at the two.

Somebody snickered in the background.

"She's so pitiful looking."

"Is it true she's having sex with him? Who's going to take her hand in marriage?"

"Forgive me for my intrusion." She said, getting up. "I'll see my way out," Hinata said as she made her way to the white gate.

"Hinata," Ino called out.

"I do apologize for my daughter's crudeness. She shall be dealt with." Mebuki said, bowing towards the two girls.

"Mother," Sakura frowned.

Mebuki eyed the girl, and she sighed. "I'm sorry that I offended you." She lowered her head. "Please let's continue this day as if nothing happened."

Sakura glanced at Ino, who then looked back at her.

The tears fell freely from Hinata as she made her way home. She was wrong ever to get her hopes up and thought she could be normal for once. She would forever be a maid in everyone's eyes.

"I'll never just be Hinata!" She cried.

The door swung opened to the Namikaze manor, and Naruto and his friends jumped from their seats.

"Is this an ambush?" Sasuke said as he got up quickly.

Naruto marched to the entrance of the door and saw Hinata crying. "Hinata, what happened?" He voiced his concern.

She looked at the man and ran past him to the maid's quarter. Sasuke, along with Shikamaru, stuck their head out of the parlor.

"Naruto," Sasuke frowned. "That was rude of her. You should deal with her." He sighed. "You take things so lightly."

"We'll talk more about this at a later time." He murmured. "I'll see you two later."

The floorboard creaked under each step he took as he made his way to Hinata's room. He knocked on the door softly, but there was no response. He heard the poor girl sniffling behind the door, and he figured things did not go as planned.

"Hinata," He knocked on the door. "Open up. Now!"

After a few seconds, she opened the door slowly. She bowed and lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry for barging in here like this. P-p-please, forgive me." She felt her eyes watered.

"What did I tell you about lowering your head when you speak to me? You're not weak."

"I-I'm sorry." She said as she continued to lower her head even more.

Naruto gripped the sides of her cheek and forced her head up. She yelped in pain as he turned her head to the side. He studied the bruise on her right cheek.

"Who?"

She shook her head. "I was being inconsiderate and spoke without permission. I'm sorry for disgracing your name."

"Who hit you?" Naruto said. She tried to avoid his eyes as they stared down into her soul.

"I don't know their names." She gave in. "Please forgive me, sir." She quickly added.

"What is there to forgive? I sent you there to have fun, and you couldn't even enjoy your time." He spat. "I'll have a word with Sakura right now." He said, making his way out of the maid's headquarters.

"Sir," Hinata called out as she chased after him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to stop him, but it was no use. He was literally dragging the girl on her heels as he tried to walk to the front door. "Please, sir! I didn't want Sakura to intervene, and I don't want anyone to get into trouble because of me, please." She begged.

"Why do people feel it's okay to lay their hands on you!" He snapped at her. She shook in fear as his eyes screamed anger. "Why didn't you hit her back! Or do something!" He gripped her wrist tightly.

"I'm sorry," Hinata winced in pain.

Naruto quickly let go once he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. "Was it my fault? Maybe I shouldn't have pushed you to go." He said aloud.

Hinata shook her head. "I enjoyed my time with Sakura and Ino, and it was fun while it lasted."

"I just wanted you to have fun and to forget about that boy." He sighed. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Make it up? Sir, no. Please." Her voice lowered. "You've done so much for me as it is."

"Please tell me, and I'll do it," Naruto replied. "Would you like a new dress from Madam Yuuhi? She's been asking for you ever since she met you." He told her.

"Me?" Hinata was shocked. She had heard rumors that the woman will only make dresses for those she felt were pretty. She was also rumored to be quite stingy.

"Yes, she likes you," Naruto said. "She wants you to try on some more dresses."

"But- they're rather costly," Hinata interjected.

"So! I have more than enough. Spending it on a few dresses for you is not a problem" He clicked his tongue. "I'm still upset by this incident, but seeing as you don't want me to go, I won't push it any further."

"Thank you, sir."

"By the way, did they say anything to you?" He inquired.

" _I heard she's having sex with the last heir to the Namikaze fortune."_

Hinata quickly shook her head. "It's- nothing, sir."

Naruto knew she was lying but didn't want to push the fragile girl any further. "Please clean up yourself."

* * *

He tapped his fingers against the wooden table as he had an annoyed expression on his face. The following day came, and he was still bothered by the incident at Sakura's tea party and particularly Sakura. "How could she let someone do that to Hinata?" He retorted.

He got up abruptly and shoved his hands into his knickers as he made his way to the front entrance of the house. He opened the door, and Sakura jumped back in surprise.

"Naruto!"

He crossed his arms. "I was just about to come and see you. What happened at that party?" Sakura looked down. "Hinata! I'll be back." Naruto called out as he slammed the door behind him. Hinata poked her head out of the dining room.

"Did you say something, sir?" She asked. The room was eerily quiet, and she shrugged her shoulders.

Sakura and Naruto strolled the dirtied road towards her house.

"Some girls were making fun of Hinata," She finally said. "They kept making gestures at her and said she," Her face reddened as she remembered their poor choice of words, "you two were having sex and how shameful she is."

Naruto remained quiet.

"Is it true?" Sakura said once noticing the boy hadn't respond.

"No, we're not. I don't know why somebody would assume such a thing." He finally replied.

"Why couldn't Aunt Saya opted for an older maid?"

"She claimed I had taken a liking to the girl when I saw her in the living room."

"You should have sent her back." Sakura frowned. "She's causing you a lot of trouble, and rumors are spreading."

"She's not causing me anything." Naruto snarled. "There have always been rumors spreading about me, and besides, she won't make it if she continues to stay with my Aunt."

"Do you plan on courting her?"

"W-what? No. I haven't decided to court anybody."

Sakura hummed. "You're getting older. You should start finding an admirer."

"You're older than me, Sakura. I should be telling you that." Naruto snickered.

Sakura's face reddened. "I will!"

"Well, time is ticking," Naruto said playfully.

She looked down sadly. "But I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me. I did try to help Hinata, and so did Ino, but she refused. And my mother didn't make matters any better. Those girls were in the wrong, and I wanted to smite them with my right hand."

"Your hands are mighty," Naruto replied.

Sakura couldn't help but feel proud of herself. "Hinata's a nice and sweet lady, Naruto. I'm sure you see that too." She paused. "Is that the reason why you didn't let her go? She reminds me of your fa-

"Shut up," Naruto said in a sharp tone.

Sakura held her tongue as the two reached her house.

"I'm sorry." She looked down at her shoes. "Um- Ino and I would like to spend time with Hinata again. Can we have afternoon tea at your place tomorrow?"

"I rather not. Hinata has been through so much. Just give her sometime before asking her out again." He turned on his heels. "I'll be on my way."

"See you later, Naruto."

She opened the white gates and was met by her mother, who stood on the front porch. "I see you've been with the Namikaze heir." She hummed. "Should I start planning for the wedding?"

"No." She deadpanned. "Naruto is my friend, mother. I don't see him in that light."

"Sakura, you're not getting any younger, and there are nice suitors out there. You're a beautiful girl, and any man would be excited to take your hand in marriage." She crossed her arms. "What about Sasuke?"

A deep blush spread across Sakura's cheeks, and she brushed past her mother. "Mother, please stop!"

* * *

Naruto stared at the steaming food in front of him. The owls hooted, and a slight breeze danced in the dining room. He looked at the empty seats surrounding the table, and he was annoyed for some odd reason.

The room had a gloomy feeling to it, and if you weren't used to being by yourself, it would make you tremble in fear. However, Naruto was used to it, but for some reason, he felt a wave of loneliness washed over him. Had it always been like this? Quiet. Lonely. Gloomy. Unhappy.

His eyes gazed at the brown door that led to the kitchen and maid's eating area.

 _"But, I want to eat with them."_

" _Naru-chan, you're troublesome as it is, and they need some time for themselves. Don't be selfish."_

 _The blonde boy's eyes teared up as his mother said those words._

" _Madam, it's okay. We love Naru-chan."_

 _The little boy's eyes sparkled, and he ran to the older woman and embraced her. She hugged him and held his little hand, leading him behind the brown door._

He slipped his hands through his hair and heaved a sigh.

Hinata poked at her rice as she stared out the opened window. The moon sat outside the window, and she looked down.

"I wonder if Hanabi is seeing the same thing I'm seeing."

Lately, the house has been quiet, and Naruto seems to be focused on another course. She ate a little bit of the rice and then placed her chopsticks on the bowl.

Her round lavender eyes darted to the door when she heard it creaked open.

"M-master," Hinata got up and took some of the bowls from him. She placed them on the table, and she gazed at it. He hadn't eaten a bite. She swiftly turned around and bowed. "I'm sorry the food wasn't to your liking. Would you like me to cook something else?"

He walked past her and sat on one of the barstools surrounding the rectangular table. "You've been spacing out lately, so I've decided to keep you company." He murmured.

"Company?" She sauntered towards the table and sat down across from him. The two felt awkward, and they sat there in silence for a while.

Naruto noticed Hinata wasn't eaten. "You didn't enjoy your own cooking?"

She shook her head. "I just wasn't hungry," Her face reddened when her stomach growled loudly.

Naruto rose his eyebrow and looked down.

"I'm s- Her stomach did it again, and her face turned even redder. She held gut and begged for it to shut it. "You weren't doing this earlier." She cried loudly to her stomach.

Naruto looked at her and tried to stifle his laugh, but he couldn't contain it anymore, and he laughed uncontrollably. Hinata's eyes widened in disbelief as this was the first time she had heard him laugh. His laughed floated in the room, and it was as if the room became brighter and cheerier.

Hinata's lips curled, involuntary, and she tried to fight back the laugh. It was no use as she let giggled. Naruto gazed at her, and he felt his face go hot. She tried to cover her mouth as the giggles escaped from her pouty lips.

He couldn't help but smile as he looked down at the rice. "You should probably eat it." He placed the chopsticks between his fingers and ate some of the rice.

Hinata also followed along. This room didn't feel lonesome or awkward like it was before.

"Ah, I spoke to Sakura," Naruto said as he ate some fish.

"Sir! Please-

"Hinata, I had to. It really upset me when I saw what they did to you, and Sakura explained what happened." She looked down at the brown table. "Don't worry, I didn't yell at her. But please disregard the rumors. I know what it's like to have your name smeared through the mud, but as long as you know you're not doing anything, then you have nothing to worry about."

Hinata remained quiet as she ate some rice little by little.

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Are you afraid you won't find somebody?"

Hinata shook her head. "Nobody would want somebody like me." She mumbled.

"Why do you think that?" He asked. "You're nineteen. You're the perfect age for marriage."

Hinata used the chopsticks to push the rice to the side. "I don't have time to think about love, sir."

Naruto hummed. "Ah, don't lie to me. Every young woman daydream about finding her prince charming."

Hinata remained quiet. Naruto was right. At night, she would daydream about her prince charming, sweeping her off her feet. She dreamt of a life where she didn't have to struggle, and her sister was in good hands. She thought about the children she would have with her lover and how they would travel the world. But those were nothing more than dreams.

"Am I right?"

She blushed before lowering her head. "I suppose you are, but I can only daydream. Who would want someone like me? I was once considered a princess from a respected clan, now I get treated like I did something wrong." She looked up at Naruto with sad eyes. "When I was younger, I didn't have anything to worry about. I had servants that tended to my every need. I had warm baths, food, and the best education- She paused, "but most importantly, I had a family. My mother, she was very kind, and she treated everyone with respect. My father, he was stern and short with his words, but I knew he loved us." Her voice softened. "And my brother, I t- The tears streamed down her eyes, and she quickly wiped them, "I thought he would never love me the way I loved him," She squeezed the chopsticks. "And Hanabi," She felt her heart shattered. "She's the only one I have left, and I love her, and I can't be there for her that way mother was. She's over there, and I'm here." The tears splattered on the table and made a small puddle. "I- I just want my family back." She cried loudly

Her arms wrapped tightly around the young man who embraced her. She buried her head into his chest and stained his clothes with her tears. He didn't utter a word as he held her tightly.

After several minutes of crying, she wiped her eyes and looked away from him. "I'm sorry, sir." She sniffled. "I always cause you trouble and show you my ugly side." She stared down at her lap.

"There are no ugly sides to you," Naruto said as he rubbed the top of her head. "Are you feeling a little better?"

"Yes… thank you." Hinata lowered her head. "I'm sorry I cause you a lot of trouble, sir."

Naruto brushed her off. "Why don't you eat some more before you go to sleep,"

Hinata wiped her eyes and ate some more rice.

"Oh, Madam Yuuhi has made an appointment with you. She would like for you to model some dresses for her."

Hinata stopped eating and stared at Naruto in disbelief. "Me? Model dress?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup, I received the invitation in the letters you gave me this morning."

"But… I heard she only works with pretty people," Hinata mumbled.

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "And that's why she chose you." He scoffed once Hinata looked at him surprisingly. "Hinata, you're not an ugly girl; in fact, you're gorgeous."

Hinata's pale skin couldn't help but turn red.

"Are you okay?" He said, placing his hand on the top of her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever,"

Hinata quickly shook her head. "I just don't want to get my hopes up, and I don't want to cause you any problems,"

Naruto felt for the girl as she couldn't even enjoy herself without always looking over her shoulders. "Well, the dresses are free," He mumbled. "I don't want to push you to go like last time,"

Hinata felt terrible because it was Madam Yuuhi who requested her. But she didn't want to go through the humiliation again. She quickly glanced over her shoulder as she felt somebody whispered in her ear, "Go,"

Naruto looked at her in concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Did you hear that?" Hinata asked.

Naruto looked around the kitchen and stared at Hinata oddly. "Heard what?"

She shook her head. "I'll go,"

"I don't want you to force yourself, Hinata. It's okay to say no. I'll just let her know." He said, getting up.

"No, sir, I'll go, but if I may- please don't leave my side." She looked down. "I just don't want to be alone just in case,"

"I understand. Get some rest."

* * *

The streets were busy with civilians who were walking up and down the market way. Hinata hanged her head down as she walked behind Naruto, who was leading her to the shop. Without turning around, he knew the girl had her head down.

"Hinata, remember what we spoke about. Pick your head up and don't give people the satisfaction of seeing you like this," He reminded her.

Hinata quickly lifted her head and walked alongside him through the busy streets.

They entered the red building and the bell rung. Hinata hid behind Naruto, who was waiting for somebody to come out and greet them. Hinata eyed the store and saw different styles on some mannequins.

"Good day, sir," A young short dark skin girl came from behind a corner. "How can I help you?"

"I have an appointment with Madam Yuuhu," He said. "I have her model waiting for her,"

The young girl looked behind the young man and saw a shy and timid girl cowering behind him. She couldn't help but smile. "Your girlfriend sure is cute,"

Naruto blushed unknowingly. "She's not my girlfriend," He cleared his throat.

Hinata also couldn't help but blush. "She thinks I'm cute," She mumbled.

' _She's more concerned about her being called cute,'_ He sighed.

"Follow me," She said, leading them to the back room. They walked down the narrow corridors until they reached a backroom that was filled with fabrics, sewing machines, and thread everywhere. "Madam Yuuhi, your guest has arrived."

"Thank you, Momo. You can go,"

The short girl bowed before making her leave.

Naruto stepped to the side so Madam Yuuhi could see the girl. Hinata shivered as this was her second time meeting the woman, she was still nervous. Her red eyes stared at the girl, and Hinata avoided her eyes. The woman was a beautiful vixen, and Hinata even didn't understand why she wanted her to model her dresses. Inevitably there were other girls out their far more beautiful than her.

"You're fuller,"

"Ah, you're scaring her, Kurenai." Naruto crossed his arms as he sat down on the stool.

She glared at the young boy who stared at her in a bored expression. "Why are you still here?"

"I want to make sure she's safe is all." He told her.

Hinata glanced at Naruto and smiled softly.

"How have you been?"

Hinata gazed at the woman and spoke in a soft voice, "I've been well, and yourself?" She bowed.

"I've been well myself. I suppose Naruto has told you why I called you here," She said, moving some items out of the way.

"He said you wanted me to model your clothes," Hinata said. "It's such an honor."

"As you know, I only let beautiful people wear my clothes, and you, my child are lovely," Kurenai said as she took out a long lavender Victorian dress.

Hinata couldn't help but smile. "T-thank you," She came closer to the woman who signals her to come here.

"Shall we get started," She smiled.

Naruto watched as the clock tick, and it had almost been three hours since they arrived. Hinata was still trying on clothes, and Kurenai would make little adjustments here and there.

He couldn't keep his eyes off her and watched her every moved. The clothes she tried on complimented her frame, and she stood out more.

"How is he treating you?" Kurenai asked as she sewed up the hem of the lace dress.

"Naruto?" She paused when Kurenai looked at her. She trembled as she mistakenly called him by his first name. "I'm sorry, I-

Kurenai noticed the girl trembling uncontrollably. "It's okay. I suppose he told you to call him by his first name."

Hinata nodded. "He told me too, and it was uncomfortable at first, but-

"It's okay, Hinata. He doesn't realize the trouble he's causing you, although it is intentionally."

Hinata nodded her head, agreeing with Kurenai. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will. You're a strong woman. I see it in your eyes." She told her.

"You think I am strong?" Hinata questioned.

"You're still alive after everything you've been through, right?" Kurenai said as she threaded the hems again. "It takes a lot of courage to go through life after everything that has happened."

Kurenai didn't know her whole story, but everybody knew what happened to the Hyuga clan. They did a lot to support Konoha, and they were highly respected because of their influence on the government.

"If that idiots treat you unkindly, just let me know, and I'll take care of him myself," She said it loud enough for Naruto to hear.

He scoffed at the little threat Kurenai said.

Kurenai looked up at Hinata and grinned.

She couldn't help but smile. "Naruto treats me kindly, Madam Yuuhi. Please don't worry about little old me,"

"If he gets out of line, come to me," Kurenai replied. She adjusted the kimono and stared at her work. "Beautiful."

* * *

Hinata sat out in the garden as she daydreamed. She was out cleaning the yard when she decided to take a little rest. Naruto was inside in his study hall and didn't really ask much of her today.

He was home more now, and the two ate breakfast and dinner together. A small smile crept on Hinata's face as she thought about him.

"Neglecting your duties?"

The known voice interrupted her thoughts, and she shook her head. "It just felt lovely outside, sir. I'm sorry." Hinata said, getting up. She noticed the man was dressed. "Are you heading out?"

He nodded his head. "I'm going to stop by Sasuke for a little bit. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Hinata smiled. "Enjoy yourself, Naruto."

"Try not to work hard," He told her.

Hinata followed him until he was by the gates, and she watched him until she could no longer see him.

She grabbed the mail from the white mailbox and flicked through it. She hadn't heard from Hanabi in a while, but she wasn't to concern as the girl said she would be studying hard for the upcoming exams.

Her eyes glanced at a letter addressed to her. She opened it.

 _Hinata,_

 _Please see me today._

 _-Saya U._

She groaned inwardly. "Why does she need to see me?"

Hinata was on her way back from Saya's house as she was sent to pick up some cake and a gift for Naruto. When she went to the house, Saya didn't say much. She just threw them in her hands and told her to make sure Naruto received it. Then her eyes widened. _'Could today be his birthday?'_ She thought. "Ah, I wish I had known. I would have made him a cake or get a present for him."

A slight chill brushed past her as she made her way to the Namikaze manor, and her eyes darted to a scruffy young man lying down. Her heart sank as she thought it was Konohamaru.

She approached the stranger, and her heart was joyous as it wasn't Konohamaru, but an older looking man. "Sir, are you okay?" She looked down at him.

The man coughed slightly. "Do you have any water I can drink?" He uttered softly. Hinata couldn't hear him, so he kneeled towards him.

"Can you rep- She let out a terrible shriek as the stranger wrapped himself behind her and pressed a sharp knife against her throat. The box of cake and present fell to the floor. "Is your master home?"

Hinata closed her eyes tightly as a sharp foul smell escaped his mouth. Hinata let out a whimper and closed her eyes tightly. "M-my master is home, so it'll be best if you leave- Now!"

The man spat on the floor, and he sounded three whistles. Hinata opened her eyes as several scruffy looking men came from the woods and surrounded her. "Let's get her inside before somebody sees us."

The man, holding the knife, shoved Hinata towards the entrance of the house. "Open the door." The man said. "If you don't cause us any trouble, we may just let ya go, girly."

Hinata refused, but one of the men snatched the key from around her neck. He pushed Hinata on the floor as they made the way into the house. One man made a long whistled as his eyes wandered around. "I heard he has a lot of money."

"Do you think we can get any money off this vase?" One man said, holding up a golden vase that sat on top of a wooden piece.

"Bag it all."

The man with the knife pointed it directly at Hinata and eyed her lustfully. She shivered as she tried to cover herself.

"We should hurry up and bag as much stuff as we can." An older man said.

Hinata watched as the men took anything they could find and shoved the items into a gray looking sack. Her eyes watered as the man holding the knife kept looking at her with a sick grin on his face.

He stepped closer to her. "What's your name, kid?"

Hinata looked away. "Please leave me alone." She should have just left the man on the floor once realizing it wasn't Konohamaru. They were taking anything they could find worth value in the house, but she just prayed they would leave before Naruto came home. She didn't want anything to happen to him because of her.

"A feisty one." He grabbed the collar of her kimono and split the middle of her dress until it reached her stomach. She let out a terrible shriek as the man gripped her right breast.

"Get your hands off me!" She screamed.

"You can always have fun playing with her, but right now, we need to get these things loaded." One man said.

He scoffed. "Let me have my fun while I can. I don't say anything to you when you have yours." He snarled.

The man shrugged his shoulder and left the ugly looking man with the young woman. Hinata tried to crawl away, but the man pulled her by her ankles, and he sat on her. "You don't mind, do ya?" He kissed over her neck, bruising her white skin.

"Help me!" Hinata screamed from the top of her lungs as she tried to fight off the man. He gripped her cheek and forced a kiss on her.

Tears seeped through the corner of her eyes as she turned her head away. Her lips felt swollen, and they became a bloody red color. He tore the kimono until her entire chest and parts of her stomach were exposed.

"Shit, I probably could have gotten a lot for this kimono." He said once realizing the expensive material. "This is an expensive cloth to work in. Do you fuck your master too?" He laughed as he groped her left breast.

Hinata spat in his face, and the man responded by smacking her on the side of her cheek. Her right eye swelled up, and her cheek turned purplish.

"I'll teach you what it's like to be a real woman."

Hinata let out a terrible scream as the man bit around the areola of her left breast. Hinata winced in pain when the man let go by force. She crawled backward and tried to cover herself.

"Konohamaru!" Hinata shouted.

The man hit his head against the wall. "Let's go!" Konohamaru said, helping Hinata up. He held her hand and tried to run to the front door, but another man came and stood in front of him. Konohamaru backed up and tried to hide Hinata behind him. "I called the master, and he's coming now with some officers. I suggest you go on your way if you don't want any jail time." Konohamaru growled.

"I'll believe it when I see it," He said as he punched Konohamaru in the stomach.

Hinata covered her mouth when Konohamaru stumbled backward. "Please take whatever you want, but don't hurt her. Kill me if you have to, but not Hinata." He breathed in and out.

The man holding the knife rubbed his head, and the other men came out with the sacks slung across their shoulders.

"Ah, the kid really pissed me off when I was about to get to the good part." Konohamaru backed up with Hinata to the corner until he was completely covering her.

"Please, Konohamaru, just go and leave me alone. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"How could you say such a thing? What about your sister? Nobody is going to miss me if I die, but your sister will if you do!" He gritted his teeth.

"I- I would miss you if you were to die," Hinata said, gripping on his arm.

"Yo-

Hinata let out a terrible shriek escaped her lips as she watched Konohamaru stumbled to the floor. The man with the knife rushed him and stabbed him in his lower abdomen. He stumbled forward and covered his hand with the stab wounds. "Hinata! Run!" His legs shook uncontrollably, and he fell backward on the wooden floors.

"Konohamaru!" Hinata screamed. She ran to the boy and watched as the blood became heavier. She tore a piece of cloth from the already ripped kimono and pressed it down on his lower abdomen. Big tears gathered from her eyes and splattered over him.

The men in the background laughed. One of the more serious men glared at them. "Let's hurry up before her master comes back." He said, adjusting the sack over his shoulder.

"Ne, boss. I say we bring the girl with us so we can have some fun on our road trip." One man said.

"Why don't we have some fun now?" The one with the bloody knife said. He yanked Hinata by her long hair and threw her against the wall.

"We don't have time! Just bring her along. She'll make us a lot of money."

As the man was about to grab Hinata, one of the men in the back let out a sharp scream. The man stumbled backward as something broad slammed across his right face. His ears rang, and blood seeped from the opened wound. The men, shocked, glanced at the unknown assailant.

"Naruto." She whispered.

Naruto looked at the condition Hinata was in, and anger swelled his heart.

"Hinata, Konohamaru isn't going to make it if you're looking at me." He took off his blazer and threw it at her. "Get Tsunade- Now!"

Hinata nodded, and she got up shakenly as she held the blazer in her hands. As she was about to run to the door, one of the men tried to grab her, but Naruto quickly intervened by slamming heavy plywood he had used to hit the other man earlier against his hand.

Hinata looked back, but Naruto yelled for her to seek help. She scurried out of the house and nearly tripped as she ran down the dirtied road. Her heart was racing quickly. The tears blinded her vision, and the sunset as she made her way into the entrance of the marketplace.

"Hinata!"

Hinata quickly turned around when she heard the known voice. It was Sasuke who approached her. She noticed an older man who looked identical to him also walked up to her. He looked at the girl with concern.

"Are you okay, madam?"

She quickly shook her head. "Please, it's Naruto! Some men attacked me, and I need a doctor. Konohamaru is dying. Naruto is alone." She couldn't catch her breath. "Please! Help him!

"Go get Tsunade. I'll help the dobe," He said, leaving Hinata with his oldest brother.

"Let's go," Itachi said as he led the girl to the Tsunade's office.

* * *

Sasuke looked at his friend, worriedly. If looks could kill, he would be dead. He had come just as Naruto had finished beating the living shit out of them, literally. As much as he wanted Naruto to end them after seeing what they did to Hinata, he knew he had to stop him. If Hinata came back, she didn't want the girl to go into cardiac arrest by the gruesome sight.

The two watched as the men were handcuffed and put in the back of a buggy.

"Are you okay?"

Naruto looked at the older policeman who looked so much like his best friend. "I'm fine, Itachi." He turned his back on the two closest people to him and walked away.

Itachi and Sasuke looked at one another before leaving. They knew they had a long night ahead of them.

Tsunade approached Naruto and smiled. "The two of them will be fine," She said. She handed him an ointment and some gauzes. "Rub this on Hinata's bruises and replaces his gauze until it isn't bleeding. If he as any fever or shivers, please bring him to me right away!"

Naruto took the things from here and brushed past her without a word. Tsunade looked at him worriedly and prayed he wouldn't give the girl grief.

She left the house and spotted Sasuke and Itachi, who was just about to leave.

"Is the young boy going to be okay?" Itachi asked.

Tsunade nodded. "He'll be fine."

* * *

Naruto posted by the infirmary door and stared Hinata down, who was gazing at her lap.

Konohamaru watched the intense stare, and he gripped his sheet in anger. "Sir! There is no need to look at her like that!" There was a moment of silence, and Hinata shook uncontrollably. "Sir!"

"And why not!" Naruto snapped. He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "What if I hadn't come home? You would be dead, and Hinata would be gone!" There was anger in his voice. "Fuck!" He shouted as he turned his back on the two. His fist trembled uncontrollably as his mind raced to the ordeal Hinata had probably experienced while he was gone.

"I- I'm sorry, sir. I know you have some valuable things here and-

Naruto swiftly turned around, and there was a flash of anger in his eyes. "Look at you!" He pointed out. "Look at what they did to you." Hinata's lips were bruised and a bloody red, her eye was swollen shut, and there was a big imprint on the side of her cheek. Then his eyes wandered towards the bite mark around her breast. "Do you know what they could have done to you if I didn't show up? Where would you be now? Thank God Konohamaru was able to stall them." He ran his hand through his blonde hair.

Hinata's eyes watered. "I'm sorry." She cried. "I'll work twice as hard to repay for the damages."

Konohamaru looked sadly at the young girl. Naruto stepped towards her and wrapped a blanket around to cover her. "I can always replace those things, Hinata." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

The young bachelor took a deep breath. He was out with Sasuke when he got a bad headache that did not ease up. When he tried to ignore it, it got worse and worse until he left.

"You two are going to be the death of me." He sighed. "Hinata," He said calmly. "I know it's hard for you, and you just have to be kind for some reason, but if you ever see anyone in front of my house and there's no one with you, please run away. Don't come near and find help. There are people out there who play the damsel in distress to take advantage of kind people like you. Thank God you're safe." He whispered.

Then it hit Konohamaru. He realized why the young man was acting so hostile towards him.

Hinata wrapped her arms around the man, unexpectedly, and embraced his warmness. She sniffled every so often, and he didn't let go.

* * *

Naruto applied the ointment around Hinata's eye, and she winced in pain. "I know it hurts but bears with the pain." He rubbed the cream in a circular motion.

He glanced at her face, and he sighed as he rubbed her left cheek. "You're still beautiful, okay?"

Hinata looked down and nodded. "Get well soon." He told her.

"I will, but is it necessary for me to be off for so long. My arms and legs still work, sir. And I can't afford my pay to be cut."

"I just want you to focus on getting better." He scolded her. "I haven't had a maid for a long time. I think I can adjust. And don't worry about such things."

Naruto walked over to Konohamaru. "How are you feeling?" He said, pulling the covers back slightly. He looked at the fresh gauze he had placed on the boy's stomach earlier.

"I'm getting better, sir. When I'm better, I'll be gone for good. I don't wish to be a burden." Konohamaru said.

"Yesterday, you prove yourself to be a man, and although you said you were afraid to die, you risk your life to protect Hinata. I am forever in your debt." Naruto bowed.

Hinata was dumbfounded, and Konohamaru fanned him. "No, sir. You have it all wrong. Please don't do that." He said, rubbing his head. "Someone kind like Hinata didn't deserve that. I had to do what was right."

"And yet again you didn't have to. Hinata said you came earlier and said you were a gardener?"

Konohamaru laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, sir, but I lied. I just needed work to make money and a place to stay." He mumbled the last part. "The orphanages are full and-

Naruto cleared his throat. "I had a feeling, but nonetheless, you can stay. With Hinata's help, if she doesn't mind, she can teach you a few things."

"No, sir. I don't mind." Hinata piped in.

"When you're feeling better, I will discuss the wages with you."

* * *

Nightfall had approached Konoha, and a single light waved back and forth as several people moved through the narrow corridors.

"Don't kill them." A young man said.

Another young man scoffed as he threw him his coat towards the officer. "I won't make any promises."

The young-sounding man hummed when the other man dangled a sack of coins in front of him. He looked at the other people, and they nodded. "Tch," The man scoffed as he reluctantly snatched the bag from his brother.

"If you kill him, that's extra." The man turned his back. "I'm only doing this because I know you." He mumbled the last part.

The door to a hidden private room opened, and the man who was sitting in the chair squinted at the unknown figure. The lights flickered, and his eyes widened. "What are you doing here?" He said, jumping off the chair.

"I just want to show you what happens when you touch something that belongs to me." The figure said sinisterly.

The ugly man backed up against the wall, and he let out a ghastly scream. The people standing outside looked at one another in a bored expression.

"Let's get some sake after this."

The others shrugged. "You can't go wrong with that."

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